Strange Occurrences in Karakura
by maranjen
Summary: Kurosaki Karin has always been able to see spirits, but chooses to ignore it in order to live as normal as possible. However, strange things are going on in Karakura Town, and when Hitsugaya Tōshirō shows up to investigate, the unthinkable happens. Karin unintentionally ends up with all of Hitsugaya's powers and finds herself dragged into the world of Shinigami and Hollows.
1. The Mission

Disclaimer: Bleach and all its characters belong to Kubo Tite.

* * *

Strange Occurrences in Karakura

 **Chapter 1**

The Mission

* * *

Lieutenant of the10th Division, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, was standing on a pole in the middle of a town called Karakura. It was a long time since he had been to the world of the living. Normally, they wouldn't send a lieutenant on a mission like this, but the situation had called for an exception. Strange things were happening in this town. All the Shinigami who was stationed in Karakura Town before him had mysteriously died. It had been going on for months.

They had had a Captains Meeting about it, and decided to send a higher-ranking officer to investigate. Matsumoto-taichō had told him about it. They hadn't planned on sending a lieutenant, but Hitsugaya had (for some mysterious reason) volunteered. He wasn't sure why he had done it. Unlike his captain, Hitsugaya didn't have any interest in the World of the Living.

And yet here he was. A part of him regretted it – this was quite boring – but another part of him was genuinely curious about the Human World. Everything here was so different from what he was used to in Soul Society. He watched all the people, as they passed by. They all had different things to worry about, unaware of all the trouble in the Spiritual World. Karakura Town was a town with a spiritual activity above average, and yet everything seemed so normal.

It was getting late, and the number of people down on the street was decreasing. Hitsugaya jumped to a rooftop. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened so far. He had been here for a few weeks now, but everything seemed fine. He had come across a couple of average Hollows, but nothing more serious than that. He didn't mind taking care of those. He was a Shinigami after all, even though cutting down Hollows wasn't one of his usual tasks, as a lieutenant.

Hitsugaya jumped to the next building. He didn't bother using shunpo. He wasn't exactly in a hurry. On the contrary, there was nothing he could do right now, other than roaming around town. He couldn't feel any other spiritual pressures in the area anyway, other than his own. At least none worth mentioning. There was a couple of people in this town with lesser spiritual powers, but not many.

The sun was setting and the sky was orange. When he looked up, he could see stars in the sky. He finished his round, before he slowed down and settled on a rooftop nearby the high school. He wrote his daily report, which he sent to Soul Society. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened today either.

* * *

Kurosaki Karin walked down the street in Karakura Town. She carried a bag with her, which contained her football. She and her friends had just finished a game. They lost big time. Her team wasn't exactly the best. In fact, she was their best player, and the team they had played against consisted of players as good as or better than her. So it wasn't a surprise that they had lost.

Karin became a student at Mashiba Middle School not long ago, along with her twin sister Yuzu. And of course she had managed to get in a fight with some of the older students. She and her team had reserved the football field, but the older boys didn't care. They decided to play a match about it, and Karin's team lost. So they had to leave.

She didn't know why she had insisted on it. Everyone could see that they were doomed to fail. It just wasn't in her nature to give up. She didn't want to look like a coward, and even though they lost, Karin didn't regret it. After all, it was better than not trying at all. It didn't bother her that they had lost. Playing had been a lot of fun anyway. At least they got to play at all, before they had to leave.

It was getting late, and the sky was coloured orange. She and her friends had parted not long ago, and each went their way. Karin walked another couple of minutes before she spotted the familiar sign saying "Kurosaki Clinic". Her father, Kurosaki Isshin, was a doctor. Not that she could understand how he ever managed to become a doctor. Her father was an idiot.

She went inside and the first thing her father did was to run towards her and shout: "Kariiiiiiin!" _An idiot indeed_ , she thought as she struck him down.

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu said, standing by the stove cooking. After their mother died 6 years ago, Yuzu had been doing most of the chores. "Don't be like that! We were just worrying about you!"

"Well, you don't greet people with _the elbow_ ," Karin replied annoyed, referring to the way Isshin had come running with his elbow directed at her face.

"Onee-chan!" another voice shouted. Her little brother Ichigo ran towards her, and she gladly embraced him. While Yuzu had taken the role as a mother, Karin had taken the role as protective older sister. She considered it her responsibility to watch out for her twin sister and younger brother.

"You're late," the nine-year-old said. "Where have you been?" His voice was worried.

"I'm sorry I wasn't home earlier, something came up," she explained, trying to comfort him. Ichigo had only been three when the accident occurred, so he didn't he didn't have many memories of their mother. Still, neither Karin nor Yuzu had been able to fill the hole in his heart. It was hard to say how it had affected him since he was so young, but it definitely had.

Yuzu and Karin had holes of their own. Their mother's death had changed them all. Well, maybe not their father, who still was an idiot. Their personalities had changed. Some would say the twins were opposites. While Yuzu was emotional and varied between cheerfulness and crying, Karin barely showed emotions at all. At least when her family wasn't involved.

Isshin made a disappointed sound. "Why can't Karin show her dad some of that fondness too?" she heard him complain in a rather childish manner. Karin had to fight the temptation to strike him down again.

"I'll be in my room," she said and patted Ichigo's head before she went upstairs. The last thing she saw before the living room disappeared out of her sight was her father crying to the memorial poster of her mother: "Masaki! My daughter hates me! I have failed as a father!" Karin sighed. Why couldn't her father be a little more normal?

She lay down on her bed and stared at the sealing. She was tired. It was late, and the game had drained her for energy. Maybe she would just go to bed without eating supper. Karin sighed and closed her eyes.

Neither Hitsugaya nor Karin experienced any abnormalities that evening. The night passed like every other night would have. It wasn't until the next day things were going to become really bad.

* * *

A/N: That was the first chapter! Hope you liked it!

If you are not familiar with the Japanese terms, here are some word explanations:

\- ~chan – Japanese honorific, informal

\- Onee~ – big sister

\- ~taichō – captain

\- Shinigami – soul reaper (but I assume you all knew this one)

\- Shunpo – flash step


	2. Unexpected Meeting

**Chapter 2**

Unexpected Meeting

* * *

Because she went to bed so early the previous day, Karin woke up early as well. When she came down stairs, Yuzu was already up and busy making breakfast. "Good morning, Karin-chan!" she said with her usual cheerfulness.

"Mornin'," Karin replied and sat down by the table. She always felt uncomfortable when she watched Yuzu cook, or do housework in general. It made her feel so useless. Sometimes she wanted to ask if there was anything she could do to help, but Karin sucked at everything related to housework. Yuzu wouldn't have let her anyway.

After a while, Ichigo and Isshin joined them as well. Yuzu put the food on the table and they all began eating. She and their father talked about all kinds of stuff while Karin and Ichigo stayed quiet. That was how breakfast usually proceeded at the Kurosaki household.

After breakfast, the Kurosaki children took off. Yuzu and Karin followed Ichigo to school before their continued to their own.

They passed some ghosts on the way, but Karin ignored them, as usual. Ghost didn't exist after all. Or, that was what Karin told herself every day. She was convinced that if she didn't believe in them, they didn't exist. Out of her family, she was the only one who could see them clearly. Ichigo could also sense them to a certain extent, but wasn't as plagued as Karin. She hoped it would stay that way. Yuzu thought it was cool that she could see ghosts, but she didn't know how it really was.

When they turned around the next corner, a really persistent one appeared. Karin had made the mistake of taking to him once. She hadn't notice that he was ghost before _after_ she told him to move out of the way, and now he just wouldn't let her be.

"Karin-san! Hello!" the man shouted. He wore a grey suit and carried a briefcase. Perhaps he had been a businessperson while living. He really was a nuisance, but it was especially annoying that he had learned her name. It made it so much harder to ignore him. Not that it was anyone there to ignore; ghost didn't exist, after all.

"Won't you talk to me, please!" he continued. "Why do you always ignore me?"

Karin and Yuzu continued walking. Today, the ghost followed them all the way to the school. Now he really started to get on her nerves. "Won't you shut up!" she exclaimed when she just couldn't take it anymore.

It took some time before she realized that she'd said that out loud. The ghost shouted happily: "Karin-san!" Even though it was a rude comment, the man was still happy about it. Every reaction of hers made him overjoyed. Perhaps it made him feel real, or something like that. It had to be depressing not being seen by anyone.

"Sorry," Karin mumbled when Yuzu stared at her with a frown. "It was just some ghost." The spirit left when the twins entered the school area. Karin sighed in relief. One thing was _seeing_ all of those spirits; another thing was bearing with the annoyance of _hearing_ them.

The bell rang and Karin went to class. She and Yuzu was in different classes, so after entering the school building they went their separate ways. Karin wasn't overly fond of school, but she managed pretty well. The classes usually passed by rather quickly, and during breaks, she played football with her friends. After school, she would go and see them to play some more before she went home. Today was no exception.

There was a football field at school, but Karin and her team usually used the bigger one some blocks away. She had her ball in a bag over her shoulder. When they approached the field, Karin took the ball out of the bag and started kicking it forwards.

"So. What are we going to do today?" Kazuya asked.

"What about working on our _shooting skills_ ," Ryohei commented sarcastically, referring to the lack of shots hitting the goal yesterday.

"Who are you to talk, who can't make a decent shot yourself?" Kei said just as sarcastic.

"Perhaps you should worry a bit more about yourself, Kei," Heita said and joined the argument. "I can't remember you being such a good goalkeeper." The argument became more heated, and they started fighting about who was the worst and whose fault it was that they lost yesterday.

Karin growled. "Can't you stop that stupid arguing! It was no one's fault that we lost. And if you are going to blame someone, blame me, who got you into that situation in the first place!" She released her anger and kicked the ball harder than originally planned. "Damn it," she mumbled when she saw the ball heading toward the main road, and ran after it.

Suddenly the ball disappeared from the ground. She looked up and found the ball in the hands of a boy about her height. "Is this yours?" he asked with a deep voice, which didn't quite fit his appearance.

"Yes," she answered when she regained the ability to speak. The boy tossed the ball over to her. "Thanks."

"You should be more careful with that," he said.

Karin seized the opportunity to take a better look at him. He was about as tall as her, probably a Middle School student himself. If it hadn't been for the voice and the mature look in his eyes, she would have guessed that he was a grade school student. His eyes were turquoise, but the most striking thing about him was his snow-white hair.

The boy turned around and started walking in the other direction. "Hey, wait!" she shouted, but he just continued walking. She wanted to run after him and to ask him who he was. She couldn't remember seeing him at school before.

Her friends started to murmur behind her. The argument was forgotten. Now the only thing they talked about was that mysterious boy. "Who was that?" they mumbled.

Karin just remained quiet and watched the boy until he disappeared out of sight.

* * *

Hitsugaya was in his Gigai. He usually just roamed around in his Shinigami form, but not today. It felt somewhat strange to walk among the humans with them seeing him.

Hitsugaya wasn't sure why he had entered his Gigai in the first place. It was much more practical to simply remain in Shinigami form. If something happened, he would get there faster than he would in a Gigai. But today had seemed like a quiet day, so he had thought that it wouldn't matter.

Earlier, he had come across some girl. Her ball rolled in his direction. It was the first time he had actually _talked_ to a human since he got here. It seemed like she had wanted to talk to him, but Hitsugaya din't really want to talk to anyone. So he had left.

Now he was just strolling around town, waiting for something to happen. It was truly a mystery how seven Shinigami over the past five months had managed to get killed. There was nothing out of the ordinary going on in this town. Perhaps they had just been incredibly weak and was killed by higher-level Hollows. No. Some of them had been seated officers. It was unlikely that ordinary Hollows had killed all of them, even if the Hollows were high-levels. Then what could it be?

He was about to enter a new block when something suddenly happened. Hitsugaya looked up in surprise. Everything had been so quiet when suddenly a giant spiritual pressure appeared. He swallowed a Gikongan and left his Gigai to the Gikon. Now using shunpo, he speeded across town to where the spiritual pressure had appeared.

He arrived the spot seconds later. And froze when he saw the creature appearing before him.

* * *

A/N: Second chapter. Pleace review, I would love to hear your opinions!

\- ~san – Japanese honorific, formal

\- Gigai – artificial body

\- Gikon – artificial soul

\- Gikongan – artificial soul pill, "soul candy"


	3. The Shinigami

Disclaimer: Bleach and all its characters belong to Kubo Tite.

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Strange Occurrences in Karakura

 **Chapter 3**

The Shinigami

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"What the-" Hitsugaya exclaimed.

In front of him stood a monster unlike anything he had ever seen. It was about four meters tall and had a Hollow mask. But the strangest thing about it was that it had small limbs and heads everywhere. It looked like as if several smaller Hollows had fused together and joined as one.

The main head roared at him. Hitsugaya drew his Zanpakutō, Hyōrinmaru. What was this spiritual pressure?

He observed the giant Hollow as it drew closer. It clearly had no intelligence. It was a mindless monster. But Hitsugaya was no idiot. He knew this was not something he could take lightly. He jumped and met the monster halfway.

The monster's claws and Hitsugaya's katana clashed. He narrowed his eyes when the attack had no affect. He jumped back. The monster let out another roar.

It seemed like it had lost interest in Hitsugaya, because instead of continue fighting, it slashed out at the street. "Damn it!" Hitsugaya shouted. Innocent people were swept away by the monstrous limb without knowing what hit them, literally.

Then something suddenly caught his attention. A girl with black hair and grey eyes looked terrified at the monster. He recognized her as the girl from earlier. It was natural that she looked terrified, but the fact that she could see the monster at all shocked him. And right now the monster was headed right her way.

Without thinking, Hitsugaya leaped forward using shunpo. He caught the attack with his Zanpakutō and the girl remained unharmed behind him. She stared at him. His eyes widened further. This girl was not only able to see the Hollow, she was able to clearly see him as well. After some mutual staring she said: "I-it's you, the boy from earlier!"

* * *

The boy glared at her. She glared back. She had no idea what to think. First, some giant monster apparently only she could see appeared and started destroying everything in it's way. Then, the white-haired boy from earlier appeared starting _fighting_ it. And saved her as well. She would have been dead by now if it wasn't for him.

Karin and her friend had been at the football field for quite some time now. She left not long ago to be sure she got home by dinnertime. She still felt a bit bad for being so late yesterday. So today she was determined to be home in time. And just when she was about to enter the house that _thing_ had appeared. And then _he_ appeared. This was just crazy!

The boy didn't stop to chit-chat, but leaped forwards again. He wore some kind of black kimono, and that sword of his was definitely real. Again and again he attacked the monster with it and the monster attacked him. Neither of them seemed to take the upper hand.

Karin screamed when the white-haired suddenly crashed right in front of her. She ran towards the spot, but she could barely see a thing. The crash had made dust swirl around everywhere. He was surely dead. No one could survive a crash like that. That idiot! What sane person would ever start fighting a monster like that in the first place!

When the dust cleared Karin spotted the boy again. And he was standing, leaning against his katana. She ran towards him. "Are you alright?!" she shouted.

"You idiot! Why are you still here? Run away!" he replied angry.

"But-" she started, but the boy cut her off.

"I'll be fine! You just get out of here!" Then he turned around and jumped with an unbelievably speed in the direction of the monster.

The boy shouted "Hyōrinmaru!" and a giant ice dragon shot out of the katana. This just got weirder and weirder. The ice dragon attacked the monster and half of it froze and became ice. The boy pierced the ice with his katana and it broke into a thousand pieces. The monster roared out in pain and anger and slashed out with it's claws. To Karin's horror it hit the boy right in his chest and the blood spurted.

"No!" she screamed, and instead of running away as he told her to, she ran towards the fight. With nothing else she could use as a weapon, she pulled her football out of the net and kicked it as hard as she could in the direction of the monster. The ball hit it forcefully and it fell down, still weak after the boy's attack. Karin ran towards the boy.

He was bleeding baldy from the flesh wound on his chest, but he still seemed to be breathing. How that even was possible she had no time to think about. The adrenalin rushed through her body.

"Oh god," she mumbled when she saw the wound up close. No ordinary person could survive an injury like that. He was a goner for sure.

"You idiot. Didn't I told you to run away," the boy said hoarsely and managed to sit up. Karin's eyes widened in shock. How was he able to move? He shouldn't even be alive!

"Don't move, you'll just aggravate your condition!" she shouted, but he didn't listen. He used his katana to push himself up.

"I told you: I'll be fine," he said with his eyes locked at the monster. "Now go!" Then he took of again. Karin stared at him in shock, unable to move. That boy was no human!

The monster was on the move again, but it seemed to have taken a great amount of damage. The boy's attack had cut it in half, but somehow it was still alive. It now missed an arm and a foot, but by changing form it still managed to move with all the little arms and legs which popped out from all over it's body. The white-head attacked again. So did the monster and he was thrown away again.

Then something else caught her attention and her eyes widened in fear. The monster was now headed towards the clinic, her home, where her family was. No! This was terrible! And it didn't get better. In the door opening stood her little brother with his eyes fixed on the monster. Karin regained mobility and ran toward the clinic.

"Ichigo!" she shouted. "Run away!"

The monster attacked the house and made a giant hole in the wall. Pieces of the house flew everywhere and Ichigo screamed. Now her father and sister was there as well, but they since neither of them could see spirits, they had no idea of what was going on

"Get away from there!" Karin screamed, but she was too late. The monster attacked again and hit Yuzu and Isshin who were swept away and ceased moving. It was about to slash down her brother when Karin finally arrived. She stopped in front of Ichigo and stretched out her arms to shield him from the attack. She closed her eyes, but the attack never came.

Slowly she opened her eyes. And gasped. Between her and the monster stood the white-head once again. The monster's claws penetrated the right side of his upper body. He coughed and blood came out of his mouth. The monster threw him away. The boy hit the ground and ceased moving. The monster didn't hesitate and with another attack it threw her away in the same direction as the boy. She felt all the air getting smashed out of her when she hit the ground.

On her left lay the boy. He seemed pretty dead, but she hadn't time to worry about that. She tried to get up again, but something held her back. She looked down and saw her sleeve being held by the boy. He opened his eyes. "Do you wish to save your family?"

"Of course," she shouted. "More than anything!"

"There is a way," he continued.

"Please!" She looked at her brother in the hand of the monster. "I'll do anything!"

The boy drew his katana and pointed it against her stomach. "Are you sure about this? Can you do it?"

She didn't answer. She just grabbed the katana with both her hands and pushed herself against it. A moment late it was she who had a katana in her hands. With newfound determination, she ran towards the monster with the katana lifted.

* * *

A/N: I know. It's a mean way to end a chapter. But! The next chapter is almost finished, so I'll update soon!

Katana – Japanese kind of sword, looks like an unreleased Zanpakutō (more correct would be to say that an unreleased Zanpakutō is a katana)


	4. Hitsugaya and Kurosaki Karin

Disclaimer: Bleach and all its characters belong to Kubo Tite.

* * *

Strange Occurrences in Karakura

 **Chapter 4**

Hitsugaya and Kurosaki Karin

* * *

Hitsugaya sat on the roof of the Kurosaki Clinic. He had entered his Gigai so he could recover his powers. He had no idea of what was going on. The meaning had been to lend that girl, Kurosaki Karin, some of his powers so she would be able to protect those people. But then everything had just gone wrong. She had drained him of _all_ of his spiritual powers.

He had noticed it not long ago. Kurosaki Karin had brought him to the Clinic after taking care of her family and helped him with his injuries. The wound over his chest had been pretty deep, but not anything he wouldn't survive. He was a Gotei 13 lieutenant after all.

Hitsugaya had been truly surprised when the Kurosaki-girl was fighting the Hollow monster. Her spiritual pressure, which was high to begin with, was now immense. One could almost see the energy around her when she attacked the monster. And the way she had wielded the katana was very impressive. She didn't look like a human with no experience who probably never had held a sword in her life. When she had cut the Hollow down, it had looked like as if it was the most natural thing. It was as if she instinctively had known what to do.

Hitsugaya looked out over the town. It was quiet. He could not feel any spiritual pressures, so the town would be all right for now, even though he didn't have any of his powers. He didn't know exactly why he had decided to stay here. He told him self that it was to keep an eye on the girl, but deep down he knew that it was more than that. He was genuinely curious about her.

Kurosaki slept right below him. The high lever of her spiritual powers concerned him. She could have been a seated officer in the Gotei 13 with powers at that level. Well, if she gained some training that is, but still. How was it possible for a human to have such powers? It's true that she received his Shinigami powers, but her spiritual energy was truly her own.

Hitsugaya felt a bit bad for her. It must have been hard to experience all that horror. And to see her family get hurt like that. Yes, he did fee sorry for her, but most of all he was angry at himself. How could he had let all of that happen?

He had been careless. He knew that. To jump out in between the girl and the monster without any form for plan was just ridiculous. Hitsugaya cursed himself when he thought of his own stupidity. Why did he do that in the first place? He knew he had to save that girl and acted instinctively. Hitsugaya usually never did anything without thinking, so why he acted the way he did, he had no idea.

If he just had been at full power. He should had called Soul Society and requested to get the limiter released. Then it would have been easy. And what was he going to do with the girl? She now possessed Shinigami powers. And he did not.

He _could_ send a report to Soul Society. He could ask them to send someone else. But how was he going to explain the human who possessed Shinigami powers? Which _he_ gave her. It was strictly forbidden to pass Shinigami powers to humans. Hitsugaya wasn't a person to break the rules, but he had considered it an emergency.

No. It was best not to tell Soul Society about it. He would send in the report and just leave out the "I intentionally gave away my powers to human"-part. Maybe say a little less about the Hollow monster than he should. They wouldn't expect him back any time soon anyway; he still had some time.

Okay, then. Next problem on the list: Karakura. He still had to take care of the normal Hollows in this town. If he didn't, Soul Society would be suspicious. And that wouldn't be good. He would be found out. Hitsugaya let out a sigh.

There was no end to that list. He also had to take care the Kurosaki-girl. She now possessed the powers of a Shinigami. She would probably also be the target of an increasing number of Hollows due to the increase in her spiritual powers.

He thought about the girl. She was an interesting one.

After she had looked out for her family, she had brought him inside, insisting to help him. He had told her that he would be fine. He was a Gotei 13 lieutenant after all. But she had insisted, and he was in no shape to refuse. He was badly injured _and_ without any powers, so when she lifted him up on feet and brought him inside he was in no condition to resist.

Also, she hadn't seemed surprised at all when he talked about spirits and Hollows. She was obviously able to see them clearly. And yet she denied everything. She was an interesting one indeed.

* * *

 _Flashback_

* * *

 _Hitsugaya sat in a white room with all kinds of devices. He got the feeling of being in The Department of Research and Development rather in a medical facility. The girl had disappeared to somewhere telling him not to move and that she would be right back. As if he was in any condition to move anyway._

 _The girl came back into the room, now wearing some kind of uniform and a hat with a red cross on it. In her hands she had bandages._

" _Can you_ _take of your shirt?" she asked._ _She became slightly red when she realised what she had just said._ _H_ _itsugaya_ _re_ _luctantly_ _took of_ _the originally white shirt which was now so_ _a_ _ked in blood. H_ _e had entered his Gigai not long ago_ _,_ _but his injuries w_ _ere_ _of course still there._

 _The girl started to clean the wound. It hurt, but pain wasn't exactly a new concept to Hitsugaya. He could bear it._

 _He looked at the girl. "What's your name?"_

" _Kurosaki Karin," she answered and continued her work. She had black hair which wa_ _s_ _in a ponytail._ _Two bangs hung_ _on each side of her face._ _Her eyes were dark grey and had a tough look_ _, but_ _they_ _also_ _reflected_ _deep feelings of care and responsibility._ _They somehow made her look older than she probably was._

" _Aren't you going to_ _ask_ _about what's going on?" he continued._

" _I don't really care," she said. "_ _And_ _I don't believe in ghost or monsters and stuff like that_ _anyway_ _."_

" _But you can see them." It was not a question, just a slightly surprised statement._

" _That has nothing to do with it."_

 _It got quiet. Kurosaki started to wrap the bandages around his body. Hitsugaya looked at her with fascination. She could see ghosts as clearly as the day and yet she refused to believe in them. She was a strange one._

 _After a while Hitsugaya broke the silence. "Hollows goes after people with high spiritual powers, so_ _I'm surprised that_ _you_ _haven't_ _come across one earlier." K_ _urosaki_ _didn't seem to listen, but he continued anyway. "_ _But this wasn't exactly a normal Hollow."_

 _She took a step backwards and Hitsugaya looked down. This was apparently something she had done before. The bandages was perfectly wrapped around him. "There you go," she said._

 _Hitsugaya carefully stepped down from the_ _hospital bed. He didn't want the wound to reopen, especially not now, after the girl had put so much effort in helping him. "Thank you."_

 _He started walking, heading towards the exit. He was just about to leave when the girl said: "Wait." He stopped and turned around. "You never told me you name."_

 _He looked at her for a while. It was the first question she had asked him since he came, even though it wasn't really a question. "I'm Hitsugaya Tōshirō, lieutenant of Gotei 13's 10th Division." Then he turned around again and left._

* * *

He didn't get any far though. He sat on the roof of Kurosaki's house. He hadn't bothered getting a place to stay in the human world, so he didn't have any place to go. Usually, he just roamed around in his Shinigami form during night time, but that was out of the picture considering his current state.

He thought about Kurosaki. She just seemed to pop up in his head even when he tried _not_ to think about her. How was it that a single human managed to take so much of his attention?

Then another thought popped up in his mind. It was true that he didn't have any powers, but the girl _did…_ No, no. That would be crazy. He couldn't do that. Or…? He reflected about it. It _was_ logical. But how could he do that?

He decided to talk to Kurosaki Karin the next day. He looked at the sky. It was a clear night. And quiet. Hitsugaya hoped it would stay that way out the night.

* * *

A/N: A chapter with only Hitsugaya's POV:) Hope you liked! Review!


	5. Tōshirō's Request

**Chapter 5**

Tōshirō's Request

* * *

Karin overslept that day, but when she first woke up, she was up in a second. Yesterday's events was still clear in her mind. Had it all really been real? She got the answer as soon as she went down. It was definitely no dream.

Isshin, Yuzu and Ichigo stood in front of a giant hole in the wall. In fact, the entire wall was gone. Pieces of it were scattered all over the place. Karin studied all of her family members. She sighed in relief when she saw that none of them were hurt.

"Karin!" her father shouted with that idiotic smile of his. "I just told the rest of your siblings about it. The reinsurances company called today and they said that they will have the wall fixed in no time!"

Karin stared at them. Didn't they remember what happened? And if they did, why didn't they… show some kind of reaction? Even if they hadn't been able to see the monster, which they wasn't, shouldn't they at least be a bit more puzzled about it?

Her father continued talking. "It's a miracle that a car crashed in our house, and no one got hurt!"

Karin just continued staring. A car crash? What was going on around here? She met the eyes of her sister which had a frown between them. Yuzu took a step forward. "Are you okay, Karin-chan?" she asked worried. "You look a little pale." Karin blinked.

"No, I'm fine," she said quickly. She didn't say anything more. She didn't no what else to say. Her family had clearly been made to forget about yesterday, or something like that. Maybe it at been that boy, Hitsugaya Tōshirō. He had said something about being a shinigami, whatever that was. Perhaps a part of the job was keeping normal humans unaware of the spiritual world. But why did she still remember all of it?

Karin shook her head. She was thinking too much. All of the others clearly didn't remember a thing of what really happened yesterday, so why was she worrying? She should just forget about it and pretend it never happened. The monster was gone, so hopefully she wouldn't see Tōshirō again either. Everything would just go back to normal.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Karin and Yuzu had just separated, since they had different classed, when she suddenly got a strange feeling. She could almost _feel_ the presence of someone behind her. She turned around. And almost stumbled backwards in surprise.

"Tōshirō?!" she said shocked.

"Kurosaki, we need to talk," he said determined.

"What are you doing here?" she asked without moving. Tōshirō didn't answer. Instead he turned around and left the school area.

"Wait!" she said and followed him. People around them stared, but Karin didn't heed them. She was too focused on the white-haired kid in front of her.

Tōshirō stopped, not far away from the school, in an area with little to no people. He turned around and looked at her with a serious expression. Not that that was something new. He always looked serious.

"Tōshirō. What are you doing here?" Karin asked confused.

"It's about yesterday," he started. He didn't get to continue before Karin cut him off.

"If it's about spirits and monsters and stuff like that, I don't want anything to do with it," she stated.

"That's not up to you to decide," he said flat. "And it's not _Tōshirō,_ it's Hitsugaya-fukutaichō!"

Karin narrowed her eyes. The second statement didn't concern her, but the first did. "What do you mean it's not up to me to decide? The hell it is!"

"The moment you decided to use my powers to save your family, you chose to get yourself involved," Tōshirō said with that monotone voice of his.

"But that's-" Karin started, but Tōshirō cut her of.

"As the situation developed yesterday, I considered it as a last resort to lend you some of my shinigami powers. Unfortunately, you ended up with all of my powers. So at the moment, I am powerless, as opposed to you, who have powers you shouldn't have. That makes you involved."

Karin scowled at the boy in front of her. Talk about being arrogant. "I still don't see how this is any of my concern. Can't you just take back those powers of yours and be gone! I've told you several times before; _I don't want anything to do with this!_ "

"If that was an option, I would have done so already. But it isn't that easy. I can't just _take back my powers_ ," Tōshirō said, as if she was an idiot.

Something suddenly clicked inside her. Karin felt all the confusion and frustration that had piled up over the years just exploded. " _I don't understand!_ What the hell is going on around here?!" She had always known deep inside that spirits were real, but she just couldn't admit it. She ignored them, always telling herself that they wasn't really there so that she could at least _try_ to live a normal life. But this was just too much. "Why is this happening? Why did it had to be me? I never wanted anything to do with this!"

She had been doing just fine until now. To pass a spirit now and then wasn't that bad. She was capable of ignoring it. And then Tōshirō had come and messed everything up. This was no longer something she could ignore. "What is going on?" she repeted.

Tōshirō looked at her, unimpressed. "I'll tell you everything you need to know," he said. He sounded bored, as if he wished to be anywhere but here. The feeling was mutual.

"First of all: I am a Shinigami," he started, but Karin interrupted him.

"A shini-what?" she said. God of death? Tōshirō gave her a stern look as if to say _"_ D _on't interrupt"_ _._ She shut her mouth.

"You are aware of the existence of Pluses, which are the souls of humans that have died in this world. A Shinigami's job is to lead these souls over to Soul Society, which is the spiritual world where souls and Shinigami live. Another part of a Shinigami's job is to defeat Hollows, which is souls who have lost their hearts and become a monster."

"What that _thing_ from yesterday a Hollow?" Karin asked, and forgot about keeping quiet and letting Tōshirō explain.

Luckily, it didn't seem to bother him. He simply answered the question. "Not exactly. What we saw yesterday was some kind of fusion between many smaller Hollows. A normal Hollow is usually smaller, less powerful and with _two_ arms, _two_ legs and _one_ head.

"As I've told you before, I am a lieutenant and we don't normally go to the World of the Living. I am not the one who originally was stationed here in Karakura, but I was sent to investigate strange occurrences that have been taking place here in Karakura over the past of five months. Surely you must have noticed, with your level of power, the disturbances in the spiritual activity lately."

Karin looked at him with a confused expression. "Or not," he added seeing her face. "You probably don't have much training in sensing and stuff like that."

"I think I told you about how intense I've been tying to ignore spirits," Karin said dryly. Something that could have resembled a smirk appeared on Tōshirō's face, but it was gone before Karin was able to say for sure

Karin continued asking questions. There was still one thing that bothered her. "But what was it that you needed to talk to me about? When you first said you needed to talk to me, you said it was about yesterday?" She wasn't sure if she really wished to know.

"Yes. As I told you, yesterday I intended to lend you some of my powers, so you could protect your family. And you somehow ended up with all of my powers. I also told you that I am on a mission in this town. But, there will still be normal Hollows around, and I do not have spiritual powers at the moment. But you have."

Karin's eyes narrowed. She definitely didn't like where this was going.

Tōshirō ended his explanation. "I want you to help me take care the Hollows in this town while I am without powers, so I can continue my investigation."

* * *

~fukutaichō – lieutenant

Pluses – I think they're called Wholes in the English dub


	6. A Shinigami's Duty

**Chapter 6**

A Shinigami's Duty

* * *

"Absolutely no way!" Karin shouted. How dumb could he possibly be? _To take care of his_ _S_ _hinigami duties!_ Yeah right! "There is no way I am ever _ever_ going to do that!"

Tōshirō seemed a little overwhelmed. "Why?" he asked as if he had expected her to agree.

What an idiot.

"Did you really expect me to? You want me to go around killing monsters? Hah! Ridiculous!" Karin had to suppress the urge to laugh.

"How can you not?" he asked. "You are aware of that Hollows _kill people_?"

"Still," she said. "not my problem. Can't you call some of your Shinigami friends and make them take care of this while you don't have your powers?"

Karin watched Tōshirō as he got an unreadable look. "What?"

"That's not an option," he answered after a while.

"Well, too bad," she said. "And if you would excuse me, I have to go to school. I'm already too late." And with that she turned around on her heels and left.

* * *

"Damn it," Hitsugaya mumbled. He watched Kurosaki's back as she walked away.

Maybe it _had_ been naïve of him to think she would agree just like that. She was only a human after all. She had just learned about Shinigami and Hollows and the first thing he does is to ask her to do his Shinigami work.

What was he going to do? He couldn't just give up. This was the only way. He had no other options.

Hitsugaya realised that this was incredibly selfish of him. As Kurosaki had pointed out, he could have called Soul Society. But he had chosen not to. And he had to fulfil the mission no matter what. It was hard for him to admit, but he needed help. He needed Kurosaki to help him.

What was he going to do? Perhaps just talking hadn't been the best way to try to persuade her. Hitsugaya thought about it for a long time. She said she didn't care. Maybe he just had to _make_ her care.

* * *

Karin went to class. She was late, of course. That bastard Tōshirō had delayed her.

"So you have decided to join us, eh, Kurosaki?" her teacher asked sarcastically. Karin didn't reply. She just found her seat and sat down. The teacher continued class.

She wasn't able to concentrate for the rest of the day. The only things she could think about was Tōshirō and everything he had told her about Shinigami and Hollows. Actually, she didn't think that much about it, she just wasn't able to get it out of her head, and it kind of freaked her out.

One thing were spirits, but Shinigami? Hollows? It gave her a headache. She just wasn't able to wrap her head around it.

And to think that he wanted _her_ to do his Shinigami duties! As if she would ever go around killing Hollows. She wanted a normal life, damn it! What he was asking her to do was about as far from normal as it got. There was a reason why she had denied the existence of spirits for so long. All she ever wanted was a normal life. She wanted to be normal. The only way she knew how to do that was by pretending that ghosts didn't excist.

It was a bit cowardly, when she thought about it. She had chosen the easy way. She had run away from her problems. But in the end, it had all been in vain. It had all been fine before, when it was just ghosts. They were easy to ignore. But now? Hollows? The existence of such monster were too much. She could no longer ignore it.

That damn Tōshirō. Why did he have to interfere with her life? She had been just fine, until yesterday.

But then again, he _had_ saved her life. And he was the reason why she had been able to protect her family.

After thinking about this for a whole school day, she stared feeling a sense gratitude. She had almost forgotten about his request. Until he once again decided to start meddling.

"Tōshirō?"

Karin got a strange feeling of déjà vu when the white-haired boy once again showed up at school. He had a phone in his hand which blinked. As he approached, he put the phone in his pocket and took up a glove.

Tōshirō was running now, _and right in her direction._ He held up the hand with the glove around face-hight. Karin took some step backwards and was about to move out of the way, but it was too late. His hand hit her right in the face and she was struck down.

"What the hell was that for, you-" She stopped mid-sentence when she realised that her body lay in front of her. Her body? But she sat here! She looked down at herself and discovered that she wore the same black kimono as Tōshirō had been wearing yesterday. She looked up and was about to make another angry and confused exclamation.

She never got the chance. In a second she was up on her feet and on the move. Tōshirō almost dragged her with him. "Hey," she shouted when she got over the worst shock. "What is going on? Where the heck are we going!"

"We have to hurry," was all he said.

"Can I at least run for myself?" Karin shouted angry. "You don't need to _drag_ me, you know!"

Tōshirō reluctantly loosened his grip on her outfit. " _Thanks_ ," she said sarcastically.

They now ran side by side. Karin was about to ask him once again what this was all about when they suddenly stopped. In front of them stood a giant monster with a mask and glowing red eyes. It opened a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth and let out an inhumanly howl. Every step it took caused the buildings around to tremble.

"Earthquake!" several people shouted. They ran away from the street where the Hollow destroyed everything in its way.

"What are you waiting for?!" Tōshirō shouted.

"I can't believe you are actually asking that!" Karin shouted angry. "I am not doing this!"

"Someone has to!" he replied. "And I can't!"

"How many time do I have to tell you? _I. Do. Not. Want. Anything. To do with this!"_

"So you are just going to let all those people die?"

Karin groaned. "Why are you making it sound as if _I_ am the bad guy here?"

The Hollow let out another howl and caught Karin's attention. The street was empty. She could see people in the distance, but no one was close enough to be in harms way. That was when she discovered that the street wasn't empty at all. On the ground was a little ghost girl. She knew it was a ghost because of the chain linked to it's chest.

And the Hollow was headed right towards it. "Get away from there!" Karin shouted, but the child had stiffened in fear. "Damn it," she mumbled. Without thinking she drew her katana. She was about to run towards the Hollow, but something was holding her back.

She turned around and stared into the eyes of a dead serious Tōshirō. "What are you doing?"

"What are you talking about?! That child is going to die!"

"So _now_ you're going to fight the Hollow?"

"I can't just ignore a child being killed right in front of my eyes!"

"But it's okay that Hollows kill people when you are not watching?" Tōshirō looked deep into her eyes. Karin stared at him. Then she broke free from his grip and ran toward the Hollow.

"Hey, you!" she shouted in order to drag the monster's attention away from the child. The Hollow looked up. With a swing of the katana, she cut of it's left arm. It didn't seem to have any other effect than making it angrier.

"Aim for the head!" she heard Tōshirō shout.

With another swing she cut the whole Hollow in half starting with the head. The now two separate parts of the Hollow slowly vanished into nothing. Karin put the katana back into it's scabbard. She knelt in front of the child and reached out a hand. "Are you okay?" The ghost child stared at her in fear.

"It's okay, the monster is gone. It is not going to hurt you anymore," she tried to reassure the child, well aware of that it was probably _her_ she was afraid of. It seemed to have worked, because the child hesitantly grabbed her hand. She smiled.

Karin helped the girl up on her feet. The child mumbled something. When she listened carefully, she was able to snap up the words "thank you". Then it ran away.

Karin watched until she disappeared out of her sight. Then she turned towards Tōshirō and scowled. "If you think this is going to change anything, you're wrong. This means nothing. It's not like I'm suddenly going to change my mind and help you out," she stated. She was about to turn around and leave, but Tōshirō held her behind.

"If you're going to save people, you can't just only save those right in front of your eyes." Two turquoise eyes stared at her with a look as cold as ice. Karin suddenly felt her heart waver. "That is a Shinigami's duty. To save _everybody._ Not only those that happens to be in the area."

Tōshirō let go of her. They stared at each other for a long time. Then she turned around and left.


	7. The New Student

**Chapter 7**

The New Student

* * *

"We have a new student in class today," Ueda-sensei said as he entered the classroom. "Would you like to present yourself?"

"Sure," said the bot that followed him.

Karin stared. She just stared.

"My name is Hitsugaya Tōshirō. Pleased to meet you," he said with that monotone deep voice of his, which didn't sound pleased at all. In fact, his whole appearance screamed of indifference. He couldn't have cared less.

The entire class were whispering. "Look, he has white hair", "Do you think he bleaches it?" and "Those eyes!" Karin could hear them whisper. Tōshirō ignored them and sat down next to her. She leaned towards him. "What the hell are you doing here?!" she whispered angrily.

Tōshirō didn't flinch. "What do you mean? I'm the new transfer student," he answered innocently.

"Sure, and I'm Santa," she snorted scornfully. "What are you up to?"

"Kurosaki. Hitsugaya. Something you'd like to share with the class?" their teacher asked and looked at the two of them.

"No," Karin said and pouted. Then she added in a lower voice to the white-haired kid next to her: " _This I not over!_ "

Tōshirō just shrugged.

Damn him! Why did he always have to be so indifferent? It was so frustrating! Karin scowled at him for the rest of the class. Some of the other students looked her as if she was a crazy person. She didn't care.

When the bell rang, the entire class gathered around the _"new student"_. Karin narrowed her eyes further. This was just ridiculous! He wasn't _that_ interesting. In fact, he was not interesting at all. He was a damn pain in the neck, that was what he was.

Her fellow students – especially the girls, to Karin's annoyance – clung around him. They asked him all kinds of questions which Tōshirō only gave vague answers to. He _couldn't_ answer most of them. When someone ask you where you were from, you can't exactly answer "The Spirit World". Not that Tōshirō cared about them anyway.

In the end, Karin had had enough of his act. She pushed away some girl and grabbed Tōshirō's shirt. Then she dragged him with her out of the classroom. "Hey!" he shouted, but she ignored him. They stopped in an empty hallway.

"Tōshirō. What. Are. You. Doing here."

The boy scowled. "I'm attending your school."

"Yeah, I figured out that much," she said sarcastically. "What are you _really_ doing here?"

Tōshirō stared for a moment before he answered. "The truth? To keep an eye on you."

"I knew it. You're stalking me," Karin said when she heard the boy's reply. The response was immediate.

"I am not _stalking_ you!" the white-haired boy shouted angry. Karin smirked in amusement. He was hilarious when he was angry. And she had to admit, he was kind of cute as well. Not that she would _ever_ say that out loud.

"Sure you are," she continued, still amused. "Following me to school, watching me at night? That's definitely stalking." Tōshirō seemed surprised by the second statement. Which made Karin smile even more. "Don't think I didn't notice. After receiving your powers, I've been able to sense people's present to a much higher degree than before."

He blinked. "Your Reiatsu control is fairly impressive, for a human to be. For you to have developed an ability to sense other Spiritual Pressures so fast was… unexpected."

Karin supressed the urge to grin.

Tōshirō regained calmness. "Well, then. Was that all?"

Karin scowled. "For now. And just as you know, _I'm still not okay with this_ ," she said clearly. Then the two of them went back to class without another word.

The entire class started at Tōshirō and herself as they entered the classroom. She ignored them and found her seat. Her friends gathered around her desk.

"Hey, Karin," Ryohei said. "Wasn't that the boy from a couple of days ago?"

"Do you _know_ him?" Heita asked in disbelief.

"Yes, it was him, and no, I do _not_ know him," Karin said determined.

"But you just dragged him out of the classroom!"

Karin scowled at the boy and he shut his mouth. The four of them slowly backed off, deciding that it was best to leave her alone. She was clearly not in the mood for talking. Especially not about a certain white-haired kid.

How was is that her life had developed into such a nightmare? One thing was to show up once in a while, but to join her class? Come on! She was starting to think that her joke about him stalking her wasn't a joke at all. He _was_ stalking her.

She could understand that he needed to check up on her once in a while. She did have his powers after all. But this was just too much. That bastard. Did he intentionally try to make her miserable? At least, that was what it felt like.

And that about him watching her at night? Yes, she knew about that. Or, his surprised expression had confirmed her suspicions. It was true that her ability to sense had improved, but she hadn't been sure. She was able to detect other Reiatsu, but she still wasn't able to recognize them.

It was kind of reassuring to know that it had been Tōshirō's Reiatsu. It _could_ have been someone else's, and that wasn't a very comforting thought. On the other hand, it was creepy that he kept an eye at her, even when she was asleep.

Karin ignored Tōshirō for the rest of the day. Tōshirō ignored everybody else. He didn't care the least about all of the people swarming around him. In the end, they stopped swarming and watched him from a distance instead. He was the main topic for the rest of that day. And he couldn't care less. Neither could Karin.

At some point, a girl in her class had asked her about it. "Aren't you the least curious about Hitsugaya-kun?" she asked. "Not at all?"

"Nope," Karin answered without hesitation.

"But isn't he handsome? And mysterious?" The girl got a dreamy look. "I think those eyes of his are just beautiful. And his white hair is so cool! He's so adorable!"

Karin snorted. "I couldn't care less." Then she had turned around and left without another word.

The bell rang for the last time, and Karin went to find Yuzu so they could pick up Ichigo. Normally, Karin would play football with her friends after school and Yuzu would pick up Ichigo. Today, however, she didn't want to play. She just wanted to go home.

Yuzu asked about it. "Aren't you going to play football today?"

"No," Karin said. "Didn't feel like it today."

Yuzu didn't ask any more about it, which Karin appreciated. There was a long silence. Yuzu was the one who broke it.

"But what about that boy," she said exited. "He started in your class didn't he?"

Karin narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. What about it?"

"What do you think of him? How was he? I was only able to watch him from a distance." She sounded disappointed.

Karin groaned. "Yuzu, not you too!"

"What?" she said blankly. "Don't you like him?"

"Not at all," she said with a growl. She continued before Yuzu got the chance to ask why. "He just so annoying! He suddenly shows up at school without a word, acting like if it's no big deal. How can he just pretend like if nothing has happened? And he's so indifferent. It's irritating!"

Karin realised that most of it probably didn't make sense at all. She got carried away and forgot that it was Yuzu she was talking to.

"Er, have you, like, met before? Do you know him? Or something?" she asked confused.

"Kind of. It's complicated." Karin cursed on the inside. She thought about everything she had said and realised how it must have sounded to one who didn't know the actual story.

Yuzu found out that it was best not to ask any further questions. Karin appreciated that decison.

* * *

Yesterday, Hitsugaya had decided that he would have to stay close to Kurosaki, and the best way to do that was to join her class. This was, as he had told her, to keep an eye on her. What he didn't tell her, was that it was also so that he would be close to her if a Hollow was to show up. Considering how upset she was every time he brought up the subject, he figured that it was best to keep quiet about that part for now.

If a Hollow was to show up, it was important that he was close to Kurosaki. Since she was the one with Shinigami powers, she was also the one who had to take care of the Hollows. As he had tried to explain to her so many times. She didn't listen, but that didn't change anything. He still needed to stay close to her. And she _was_ going to take care of any Hollow that should appear. Even if he would have to drag her with him.

Hitsugaya had been fairly surprised, but impressed as well, when she told him about her ability to sense spiritual pressures. It is true that he had visited the Kurosaki Clinic during night time. Once he even stayed the whole night. He wondered if this was an ability she had had from the start, or if it was something she had developed over time. Either way, it was impressive indeed.

That girl, she never ceased to surprise him. He wondered what it would have been like if she had been a soul and gone to the Shin'ō Academy. She would probably have made an excellent Shinigami. She had an amazing Reiatsu and a natural talent.

Though it did annoy him that he had to go through so much trouble over a single human. Couldn't she just have been a little more cooperative? Everything would have been so much easier then. And he wouldn't have had to go to _school_ , which he wasn't overly found of. It reminded him of his own Academy days.

Either way, she could say that she wouldn't help him as much as she wanted. She _was going to_ help him. He would make sure of that.


	8. A Phone Call and More Trouble

**Chapter 8**

A Phone Call and More Trouble

* * *

" _Moshi moshi, Hitsugaya!"_ shouted an overly cheerful voice in his ear.

"Matsumoto-taichō," Hitsugaya greeted monotonically.

" _How are you doing?"_ He could almost see his captain's wide smile.

"Fine," was all he said in reply.

" _Oh, come on! You must tell me more than just that!"_ she said disappointed. _"What's going on in the World of the Living? What've you been doing lately?"_

"Nothing special." This was technically a lie, but that depended on how you define "lately". If it was _lately_ as in _today_ , "nothing special" was the truthful answer.

Hitsugaya had been on his second day at school. Luckily, he hadn't been followed around everywhere, like yesterday. He, on the other hand, was gradually living up to his reputation as a stalker. He didn't know what else to do, so he had been trailing after Kurosaki all day.

" _How boring,"_ Matsumoto said and he could practically hear her pouting. _"I'm so jealous at you for being in the Real World. If_ I _had been given the permission to go, there is_ so _much I would've liked to do! Like shopping! I hear there are shops everywhere in the cities. Oh, oh, Hitsugaya! Can't you go shopping for me?!"_

"No way! I have work to!" he said annoyed. Hitsugaya respected his captain, and when he was ordered to do something, he gladly did it. But sometimes, he had to put his foot down. To go _shopping_ for her – as if! He was her second in command, not her servant.

" _Okay, okay. No need to overreact,"_ she said, back to pouting.

Hitsugaya decided to change the subject. "How is it going in Soul Society? Are you fine managing the 10th Division on your own?" He didn't doubt his captain's abilities as a captain, but Matsumoto had a reputation of slacking in the paperwork department. Usually, she passed all of the paperwork over to him, and when he wasn't there… Well, let's just say there was reason to worry.

" _Oh, everything is fine!"_ Matsumoto said cheerful. _"The Division is doing fine as well! We have some new recruits, who were pretty disappointed to heat that the lieutenant was on a long-term mission."_ The last she said with a smirk. He couldn't see it, but just by listening to her voice, he knew it was there.

 _Always focusing on the non-important,_ he thought and sighed. Well, at least it sounded like the Division was doing okay. At least Matsumoto didn't seem to worry about it, so it would probably be fine. For now.

"Well, then. Is there anything else, Taichō?" he asked.

" _Yes, it is."_ Hitsugaya noticed the change in her voice. He could hear that she was being serious now. _"The real reason for why I called was in fact a request from the 12th Division."_ Hitsugaya listened more closely.

" _The Department of Research and Development has discovered an increase in the dimensional activity in the area around Karakura. There may be an instability between the dimensions. They also said that they are not sure about which dimensions we're talking about, but it's most likely the World of the Living and Soul Society or the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo."_ Matsumoto paused.

Then she said: _"At the moment, you are the only Shinigami in that area, and we wondered if you have noticed anything unusual."_

Hitsugaya was stunned. This was beyond than anything he could have imagined. One thing was the disturbances in the spiritual activity, but in the _dimensional_ activity? And he hadn't noticed. It was true that he did not have his powers, but he still had some Reiatsu and the ability to sense. He should have noticed.

But on the other hand, there wasn't necessarily any spiritual pressures for him to notice, if the problem was just a dimentional instability. Or it could be that it was too far away. The 12th Division had said that it was in the Karakura area, not _in_ Karakura. But it still bothered him.

" _Hitsugaya?"_

"Yes, Taichō." He almost forgot that he still was talking to Matsumoto. "No. I have not experienced any abnormalities lately."

" _Hm. Strange,"_ his captain said pensively. It was unusual to hear Matsumoto's voice like that. Pensiveness wasn't something that he normally associated with his captain. _"Do you need us to send a team? This can become quite troublesome."_

Hitsugaya thought about it. It would probably be best to send back-up, but in the other hand, then Seireitei would figure out what he did. That would be even more troublesome. Furthermore, he was the lieutenant of the 10th Divicion. Surely he could handle this on his own. "No, I will be alright for now. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened recently. The only noticable thing that's happened since I got here was the incident with the mutated Hollow. Even the number of ordinary Hollows have been low lately."

" _Very well, then. Call if something happens, or if you should need back-up,"_ Matsumoto said and the conversation was approaching an end.

"Yes, Taichō."

He was about to hang up when Matsumoto added: _"Are you sure you_ _can't get me anything from the Real World?"_

Hitsugaya closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Sometime he just had to wonder how in the world _Matsumoto_ ever became a captain.

" _No_ , I can not. You know I have a lot to do. I'm not here on vacation, you know," he said, slightly annoyed.

" _Ah, you're right,"_ Matsumoto said disappointed, but understandingly. _"Good luck with your mission. See you soon."_

"Yeah. Thanks," he said. "See you."

Then he hung up.

Hitsugaya sighted. What a drag. To think that there was be disturbances between the dimensions as well. Matsumoto could be right. This could turn out to be _very_ troublesome. It already was.

This made him think of the Kurosaki-girl again. He had discovered that he thought about her quite often. More than he probably needed to.

Luckily for her, there hadn't been any mor Hollow attacks. This surprised Hitsugaya since Karakura seemed to be the centre of strange occurrences. Especially with a so high level of spiritual activity. Well, the day was still young. It was only a few hours ago since they finished at school. But still. In theory, there should have been more Hollows here.

Hitsugaya decided that he would check out the outskirts of town to see if he could find any sign of this dimensional disturbance the 12th Division had been talking about. He started running, but he soon found out that it would be better to just walk. His stamina wasn't anywhere _near_ the level he usually had in is Shinigami form. This Gigai wasn't suited for the kind of work he normally did.

Damn it all. This was going to take hours. He was so used to being able to Shunpo and finishing in minutes. This was almost ridiculous. Well, it had to be done, so he just had to endure. He let out another sigh.

* * *

"Karin-chan, I saw you hanging around with Hitsugaya-kun today," her sister said with a wide smile.

Karin scowled. "I was not _hanging_ with anyone. He merely watched me and the others playing football. Besides, he's in my class, so it's not a wonder that we happen to be seen together."

"Hitsugaya, you say?" he father said and joined the conversation. "I had a subor- a colleague named Hitsugaya once." He got an unplaceable look. Then he grinned."Is he new friend of yours?"

"No, he's not! I would never befriend an idiot like him!"

"What? Did something happen between the two of you?" Yuzu asked with big eyes. Beside her sat Isshin with the exact same eyes.

"This Hitsugaya, is he a love-interest of yours? Did you have a fight? Did he turn you down?!" Isshin asked intensely. For every word his face got a centimeter closer to hers until he was only millimeters away.

Yuzu's eyes got even bigger. "Was that what you meant when you said it was _complicated_?"

Karin pushed her father's face away with her foot. "So mean~," he murmured and rubbed his nose.

" _No_. I would never like a person like him!" Karin stated.

"Why not? He is so handsome," Yuzu said dreamy. Then she blushed.

The Kurosaki family was eating dinner. Karin had had a relatively okay day, considering that no supernatural occurrences had taken place. The only downside had been _Hitsugaya_ , who had followed her around the entire day. He was a constant reminder of everything she preferred to just forget.

It became silent. Karin found herself unintentionally thinking about Tōshirō. No, no, no. _Forget about him!_ her mind shouted at her. She scowled and took another bite of her food.

The rest of the meal proceeded in silence. Karin wouldn't start any conversation and Ichigo, who hadn't said anything yet, certainly wouldn't. Yuzu was clearly lost in her own thoughts, staring out into the air and blushing from time to time. Isshin as well seemed to be unusually pensive.

The only sound that could be heard was the clinging of cutlery.


	9. A Football Match and an Answer

**Chapter 9**

A Football Match and an Answer

* * *

"Hitsugaya-kun!"

Hitsugaya turned around just to see some of the girls from his class. He didn't remember their names, so he simply just gave them a small nod in acknowledge.

The three girls reached him. "Hi, Hitsugaya-kun!" the on in the front said again. Hitsugaya didn't say anything.

The girls giggled and whispered among themselves. He lifted an eyebrow. "Was there anything you wanted?"

" _You say it,_ " he could hear them whisper. " _No, you do it!_ " They giggled some more. Two of them pushed the one who had spoken to him forwards.

"Hitsugaya-kun," the girl said for the third time. "We- uh- were wondering if-" She had to pause when a series of small giggles escaped her mouth. "-if you would like to-" _giggle_ "-join us for lunch?" The three of them looked hopefully at him.

"Sorry, I would have to decline," he said monotone, not really feeling all that sorry. "I do already have plans for lunch."

The girls' hopeful expressions were replaced with disappointment. He turned around and started walking.

"You are going to Kurosaki, aren't you?" the leading one said with a hint of scornfulness in her voice. "You should know that you're doing a big mistake! She's a freak! You should stay away from her!"

Hitsugaya ignored the shouting girl behind him. He didn't care at all about what she was saying. And he was in fact going to Kurosaki. He was heading towards the football field. It was mainly because he needed to be close to her if something should happen, but he had to admit; he found the game of football quite entertaining.

He reached the field and sat down on the tribune. His eyes found Kurosaki who stood in the middle of the field. He also noticed that she wasn't playing. In fact, none of them were. It looked like as if they were having some kind of argument.

Kurosaki and a red-head were shouting at each other. Hitsugaya listened more closely and tried to pick up what they were arguing about. When his concentration was directed at them, it wasn't hard to hear what they were saying. They were shouting so loudly that the whole area probably could hear them.

"That's unfair, and you know it!" Kurosaki shouted.

"No, it's not!" the read-haired boy shouted back. "We have the right to play with all of our players! You can't deny us that just because your team are missing one!"

"But now we are only four and you are six! You were already one more than us, and now you are _two_ more!"

"We are not going to back down on this! Do you want to play or not?!"

"Well, we're not either! And we are not going to play before you agree!" Kurosaki face reddened in anger.

"Well, if you're not going to play, then get out of the field!"

"Damn you, Jinta!" Kurosaki shouted. "You're just afraid of loosing!"

"As if!" the one named Jinta shouted back.

One of the boys behind Kurosaki put his hand on he shoulder. "Maybe we should just leave."

Kurosaki's eyes burned with anger when she slowly turned towards the boy. This was enough for the boy to back off. He went several steps backwards. Hitsugaya turned his attentions back to Kurosaki and discovered that she was looking right at him.

"Hey, Karin!" Jinta shouted and tried to get her attention. Kurosaki sent him a short glance, and said: "Give me a second?" Jinta scowled, but let her go.

Kurosaki turned around and ran towards Hitsugaya. He looked at her with curiosity. What did she want? "Tōshirō!" she shouted as she approached.

"What is it?" he asked, slightly annoyed by the causual use of his name.

"Do you know anything about football, by any chance?" she asked with big eyes.

"Not in particular," he answered. They didn't have "football" in Soul Society. What he knew about football was only what he had seen in the Real World. "Why?"

"Well, you could play on our team in Ryohei's stead!"

"No."

"What? Why not?!"

Hitsugaya looked at her. He wasn't quite sure what to answer. He was a Shinigami, a _lieutenant_ none the less. He shouldn't fooling around, playing games. This wasn't a vacation, he was on a mission.

Kurosaki looked at him with an expression that said she wouldn't give up so easily. "What about you play, and I will think about helping you with you little problem."

He widened his eyes slightly. "Are you trying to negotiate?"

"Maybe."

Hitsugaya thought about it. He was well aware that she wouldn't change her mind just because he agreed to play one game. However, she did say that she would consider it. That was better than her refusing without even thinking about it. Also, it did look kind of fun…

Hitsugaya blinked when he realised what he'd just thought. No. He would not give in. This was stupid. He would not join in on some human _game_. He had more important things to do.

"Come on! It will be fun!" the black-haired girl in front of him said encouraging.

"Fine." The word slipped out of him before he could stop it. "I will join your team this once." Did he just say that? "But you _will_ hold your part of the deal." Was he actually doing this?

Hitsugaya stood up and headed towards the football field. Kurosaki grinned triumphantly. "Yes!"

He entered the field and the two of them approached Jinta. The red-head squinted. "What now?"

"We'll make a compromise. You keep all your players, and we add one to our team," Kurosaki said to the boy.

Jinta looked at Hitsugaya. "You're the new one, aren't you? What's your name?"

"Hitsugaya Tōshirō," he replied.

"Hanakari Jinta," the red-head said.

They didn't take each others' hands. They just stared at each other.

"Well, shall we play?" Kurosaki said, uncharacteristically enthusiastic, trying to brake the tension between the two boys.

"Yeah," Hanakari answered without taking his eyes of him.

Then the game began.

* * *

Karin looked at Tōshirō in surprise. He was _good_. He must have been lying. There was no way he had never played football before. If that was the case, then he was a natural talent.

Tōshirō kicked the ball around the field as if it was nothing. He dribbled past all of the players at the opposing team with ease. The rest of her team was gaping at him when he scored the first goal.

"You- you're amazing!" Karin said with awe when the bell rang and the match ended. Karin's team had won with nine goals, and Tōshirō had scored most of them.

He didn't reply.

"Where did you learn how to play like that?" she asked.

"I haven't played football before," he answered.

"No way!"

The two of them were walking back to class. People looked at them when they passed by. Some of the girls especially. They were scowling at Karin, with jealousy in their eyes.

She and Tōshirō was about to enter the classroom when Karin suddenly felt something. Tōshirō stopped. He picked up his phone from his pocked and Karin saw the screen blinking red. "It's a Hollow, and its close," he said.

"How close?" Karin asked. She couldn't help it. She had told Tōshirō that she didn't care, and that she wouldn't help him with the Hollows, but she had to know.

"It just entered the school area," he answered.

They looked at each other. Tōshirō put his phone back into his pocket and dragged up a glove which he put on. Karin nodded and felt her spirit being pushed out of her body. Now wearing a black kimono, she ran down the hallway without anyone looking at her.

Tōshirō appeared at her side. "This way," he said and took a left turn. Karin knew they were getting closer. She could feel the Hollow's Reiatsu and hear its scream.

They reached the school's main entrance and ran outside. Karin stopped in the middle of the schoolyard. In front of her stood the Hollow. "Damn it," she mumbled when she saw it.

The Hollow was a lot like the one from a few days ago. It was obviously a mindless monster without any purpose. It was destroying everything in its way, destroying the school area. Students were running around in fear without knowing what was going on.

The Hollow slashed out an arm in the direction of some students, but Karin was there before they could get hurt. The Hollow looked down and a pair of glowing yellow eyes met hers. It let out another howl and attacked. Karin rose her sword and blocked.

Then it was her turn to attack. She jumped and slashed out on its face, but the Hollow moved surprisingly fast for such a big creature. The two opponents clashed in another attack and they stood mask to face. It was then she discovered that she _did_ hit the monster with her previous attack. She had cut of a part of it's mask, and she could see what was under it.

It was a face.

Karin backed away. It was the face of human. She stared at the monster in front of her. It looked so strange, with the human face on that monstrous body.

She remembered what Tōshirō had told her not long after she had received Shinigami powers. _"Hollows are souls that have lost their hearts and become monsters."_ Yes, she knew that, but she hadn't really thought about it before now. This was actually a human soul.

"Kurosaki!" she heard a voice shout from far away. "What are you doing!" This pulled her back into reality.

She looked up. The Hollow was about to attack some students who still hadn't managed to escape the area. Karin jumped forward. Human soul or not, she couldn't let anybody get hurt like that. She hesitated a moment before she sliced the Hollow in half.

Karin put her katana back into it's scabbard. She closed her eyes. She could still see the face of the man that had been under the Hollow mask.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, she saw Tōshirō's turquoise ones looking right at her. "You saw it, right? Its face."

"Yes," she answered.

None of them said anything more for a while. It was Karin who in the end broke the silence. "I knew that Hollows have been humans, but I didn't really understand until I saw the face of that man under the mask."

She looked Tōshirō. "How can you ask me to do this? To kill all these souls that once where humans?"

He looked back at her. "A Shinigami's job isn't to kill Hollows," he said calmly. "Our Zanpakutō is meant for purifying souls and send them to Soul Society. When a Hollow is killed, the soul is purified and can go to Soul Society in peace."

Karin was staring into his ees, and knew he was telling the truth. She looked down.

They stood like that for a long time without saying anything.

"Fine," Karin said in the end and looked up with determination. "Fine," she said again. "I will help you. I will do this job in your stead until you powers returns."

* * *

A/N: Longest chapter until now! I know that the chapters of this story are a little short, so instead I try to update frequently. Also, the chapters will probably not get any longer. They'll probably still have about 1500 to 2000 words.

Hope you like the chapter! Karin has finally agreed to helping Hitsugaya! Review and let me know what you think!


	10. Problems, But Not Problems

**Chapter 10**

Problems, But Not _Problems_

* * *

"You wanna join for the match today?" Karin asked Tōshirō. They were sitting together on the tribunes, eating lunch.

"No, I think I will pass."

"But you were so good at it! Also, even though Ryohei is back, we still have an open spot on the team."

"Sorry," he said.

"Fine. Just let me know if you change your mind," Karin told him. She finished her lunch and went down to the field.

"Good luck," he said as she left.

Her… er... _relationship_ , with Tōshirō had changed. He could still be annoying as hell, but she didn't avoid him the way she had before. She could even enjoy his company from time to time.

She wasn't sure what her relationship with Tōshirō was. Friends? Colleagues? Hollow-slaying-partners? No, that didn't sound right. Maybe she would just go with _acquaintance_ for the time being. She wasn't sure if she could call him a friend just yet.

It had been five days since she agreed to help him. During these five day there hadn't been a lot of work. Killing ordinary Hollows turned out to be quite simple, and only eight of them had showed up. Of course, people had begun wondering about her "strange behaviour".

First of all, she had started hanging out with the strange new guy, Hitsugaya Tōshirō, which definitely wasn't normal. Not for her alt least. A part of this strange behaviour was him punching her in the face on a regular basis. Secondly, she had started passing out a lot lately (usually as a concequense of being punched in the face) as well as missing a lot of classes.

To everyone that didn't know about Karin's new "job", which was everyone except her and Tōshirō, this definitely categorized as "strange".

As mentioned, killing Hollows wasn't very a difficult task. In fact, the worst part of all of this was the problems both she and Tōshirō received at school. Both of them had been missing a lot of classes which made the teachers worry. Of course this would cause scepticism. Suddenly, a new student starts school and both of them begin missing classes? Bad influence? Pretty much.

Then there was the problem with the other students. This was mainly a problem for Karin. She hadn't been very popular to begin with, and now she certainly wasn't. Tōshirō was strange, sure, but for most of their fellow students, this also meant interesting. Also, he was "hot", in the opinion of Karin's classmates. So when Karin staring hanging out with him, people started wondering.

Especially the girls were sending her ugly looks. They couldn't understand why someone like Tōshirō would hang out with a looser like her. Not that she was a looser. Karin was one of those that wasn't paid much attention to at school. She was the only girl in their grade that played football, which was considered strange by many. She didn't really hang out with other girls her age.

Basically, they were jealous. Everyone wanted Tōshirō's attention, but no one got it. He ignored everyone around him, only speaking when being asked a direct question. _So why in the world was_ Karin _, of all people, the exception?_ they wondered.

For the time being, this wasn't really a _problem_. As for the teachers, they could become a problem in the future, but not now. After all, it had only been a few days days. Yes, they were starting to worry, but they couldn't make any conclusion just yet.

The attitude of her fellow students wasn't either a _problem_. Maybe it would have been if Karin had been someone else, but she wasn't, and Karin didn't care about what others thought about her. She had her faithful friends whom she played football with, she had her sister and now she also had Tōshirō. Why should she worry about what others meant when she was accepted by the people who mattered?

All in all, being part-time Shinigami wasn't that bad. It was good to know that she could help others with the work she was doing. To know that she could protect people. It was a good feeling.

"We're _so_ going to _crush you!_ " Jinta shouted when Karin had gathered her team and was ready to play. He was probably still mad about the defeat five days ago.

They still hadn't been able to have a proper rematch. The past two days, she and Tōshirō had been away during lunchtime, taking care of a Hollow, so they hadn't gotten the opportunity. Three days ago, only half of all the players showed up, excluding both Jinta and Karin, because of a math test. Four days ago, the field was occupied. This was the first time since then that they all were here.

"Yeah, right!" Karin shouted back. She was confident in herself, her team and their abilities. Usually, they were pretty even. Sometimes her team won, sometimes Jinta's team won and sometimes it ended with a draw. However, Karin was having a good day.

Jinta smirked when he won rock-paper-scissors. His team got to start with the ball. Karin just smirked back.

Jinta kicked the ball to one of his team-mates and the game started.

Karin started running. Even if she wasn't a part of any football club and had never had any formal training, Karin was a skilled player. She had improved greatly during the past years thanks to all those hours she had spent practising after school.

She wasn't completely sure why she treasured the game of football so much. She had always liked it. There wasn't anything else to say.

Yuzu was the more "girly" out of the two sisters. When she was younger, she'd liked dolls, tea parties and stuff like that. As she grew older, she started liking make-up, gossip and talking about boys. She dressed more girlish and acted more girlish. Karin on the other hand, was the opposite.

Karin had started taking liking of football around the time her mother died. Why it was football, she didn't know, but it had been good to have something to do which took her mind away from the pain of loosing her mother.

"Karin!" one of her team-mates shouted and kicked the ball towards her. She received the ball and started kicking it forwards. Her eyes was pinned on the opposing team's goal. She dribbled past her opponents, including a not very happy Jinta, and the ball whizzed into the goal.

With a satisfied smirk she walked past Jinta again, and back to her side of the field. Jinta scowled which just made her grin. "We don't need an extra player help us to crush you. We can manage that just fine on our on," she whispered and Jinta's eyes glowed with anger.

The match ended 5-2. _It is a good day indeed_ , Karin thought as she walked towards Tōshirō. Three goals difference was rare when they played. Usually, the result was more even. It wasn't as good as 9-1, which had been the ending result when Tōshirō had played, but Karin was more than pleased.

"Well played," Tōshirō commented when she reached him. He said it with his usual monotone voice, but Karin had learned that that was just the way he spoke. He generally didn't show a lot of emotions.

"Thank you," Karin said and smiled a sincere smile.

The two of them walked together to class.

* * *

Hitsugaya went back to his apartment.

Yes, he had had to get himself an apartment.

It had been fine when he was a full-time Shinigami. Then he didn't need a place to stay at night time. He had also discovered that when he was in his Gigai, he needed more sleep. Humans needed sleep so their bodies could rest and store up energy. Perhaps it was the same with the Gigai.

His spiritual self didn't need that much sleep. How much sleep he needed depended on how much of his spiritual energy he had used. He had a great amount of spiritual energy, and when he used so little of it as he had done so far on this mission, sleep wasn't a must.

But now, he had had to get an apartment. It wasn't anything big. After all, this was only a place where he spent the night. The only thing he did here was sleep.

He entered the apartment. It wasn't much of an apartment, really. It consisted of two rooms; a bathroom and a combined kitchen/living room/bedroom. That was it. But it just worked fine. He didn't really spent a lot of time here.

When he decided that he had to get himself a place to stay at night, Hitsugaya's only criteria was that it had to be close to the Kurosaki Clinic. He chose the closest he could find, which was only a few houses away. In fact, if he leaned out the window, he could see the Clinic.

When he and Karin finished at school, she went to play football with her friends while he went on patrol. It was true that he had been spending a lot of time with Karin lately, but he hadn't forgot the reason why he was here.

In a Gigai, doing patrol progressed slowly. He wasn't able to take the whole town at once as he would have in his soul form. That was some of the things he missed the most – Shunpo. Instead he had to take one area at the time. During the five days that had passed, he had covered almost the entire city.

Hitsugaya hadn't had any problems with having to live in a Gigai so far, but he didn't _like_ it. It made things like patrol way more laboriously, and the fact that he now needed _sleep_ was something he wasn't overly fond of. But he managed just fine. As mentioned, this wasn't exactly _problems_.

The only thing that was a _problem_ was this whole situation, but that was something he just had to cope with. After all, he was the one responsible for this mess.

Hitsugaya had used his apartment as base of operation. This was where he started the patrol, and where he ended it. He dropped the bag in which he kept his school equipment. Then he set off.


	11. The Crack

**Chapter 11**

The Crack

* * *

When Hitsugaya woke up that morning he knew something was wrong. He was unable to tell exactly what it was, but the disturbances in the spiritual side of the Human World was impossible not to notice.

Several days had passed since a Hollow last time appeared. It was quiet. Not _one_ flare of Reiatsu had been detected. There had been _no_ spiritual activity in Karakura _at all_. But now, there were spiritual particles all over town. It made no sense.

And it wasn't just the spiritual activity that was strange. Matsumoto had called about dimensional disturbances. He hadn't been able to sense it then, but he definitely could now.

He put on some cloths before he left the apartment. Outside, everything seemed normal. Nothing in the physical dimension of this world indicated that something was off. Hitsugaya closed his eyes and concentrated.

Then he felt it. _Crack._

It made no sound. The humans around him continued with their usual activities. None of them showed any sign of noticing anything out of the ordinary.

This was bad. This wasn't a normal spiritual energy. He thought about Matsumoto's call from the other day. This was what she meant when she talked about the disturbances between dimensions. The spiritual energy he felt was definitely not of this world.

What in the world _was_ that? The sudden release of unfamiliar spiritual energy made him worry. One thing was dimensional disturbances, but a crack between the dimension? This was definitely bad.

He was about to set off in the direction of the crack when he thought about Kurosaki. A part of him didn't want her to get involved. He had already asked so much of her. He shouldn't take her with him. She was a human. This had nothing to do with her. This was Shinigami business. She shouldn't get involved.

On the other hand, Hitsugaya didn't have any powers. He wouldn't be able to do anything else than observe. He didn't know where the crack was, but there could be innocent people there who could get hurt.

In the end, he decided to tell her about it. She had the right to at least _know_ about this. He wouldn't make her go if she didn't wanted to, but he was going to let her know about the situation. She could make her own decision.

When he arrived at the Kurosaki Clinic, Kurosaki was already outside. She was staring into the air, in the direction of "the crack", as Hitsugaya mentally referred to it as. She seemed worried.

"What _is_ that?" she asked without looking at him. She could feel him approaching.

"I don't know for sure, but the energy is coming from a rift between this dimension and another," he replied.

"Soul Society?"

Hitsugaya's eyes darkened and he shook his head. The energy he was feeling was definitely not form Soul Society, that much he knew. And from what his captain had told him, there was only one other possibility. "This energy is coming from Hueco Mundo."

This time Kurosaki turned around to look at him.

He answered the unspoken question. "While the World of the Living is the human world, and Soul Society is the world where Souls and Shinigami live, Hueco Mundo is the world where Hollows reside. Most Hollows have the ability to pass freely between the borders of these two dimensions, but that doesn't emit this level of spiritual energy. This is a _crack_ between the dimensions."

None of them said anything for a while. It was Kurosaki who broke the silence.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" she said. "Let's go!"

She began to run. Hitsugaya had to put some effort into catching up with her; she was fast.

"Sure you want to do this?" he asked when he caught up to her.

"Of course," was the immediate answer. "I have to!"

Hitsugaya frowned. "You don't have to. This is my mission. I asked you to help me with Hollows—" he began, but Kurosaki disrupted him with a snort. "Yeah, right, more like _demanded_ ," she mumbled.

"Kurosaki. I am trying to be serious here." She shut up and he continued. "I asked you to help me with Hollows, but I would never make you do anything beyond that. I do not know what we are headed towards, and can't tell you what we will meet once we get there." Hitsugaya took a deep breath. "But you should know that this will probably become dangerous," he finished.

Kurosaki didn't say anything. He looked at her.

"Was that all?" she said after a while.

"Yes," he said. Those who knew him well might have discovered the slightly confused undertone. He wasn't sure what to make of the girl's reply.

"You idiot."

This time, Hitsugaya was unable to hide the surprise he felt. He lifted a brow.

"Haven't you gotten to know me at all these past few days?" she asked. "Shouldn't you know that I'm not a person who backs out just because of an obstacle? I'm not some coward who runs away when things get difficult."

Hitsugaya kept his indifferent expression, but on the inside, he was stunned.

"I understand now how important this job is, and I take it seriously."

He blinked and tried to snap out of it. "I guess so."

They ran in silence the rest of the way. None of them were particularly talkative people, especially not him, so after both of their speeches, none of them encouraged further conversation.

* * *

Karin had been able to see the giant black _thing_ in the sky for a while now – it was impossible not to notice – but it was different to see it up close.

It was indeed a _crack,_ as Tōshirō had so accurately named it. It looked like as if someone had taken a hammer and knocked it against a window. Except that the window was the sky.

"What the—" she exclaimed. They had stopped running and Karin was able to take a closer look at the crack _._

It was big, but it wasn't a hole. It was hard to say how wide the cracks were because of the distance, but from down there, where she and Tōshirō were standing, they seemed like thin lines in the sky. This didn't change the fact that the crack was gigantic. These thin lines filled the sky above them. Again, it was hard to say exactly _how_ big of an area it filled, but it _was big_.

She caught a glimpse of Tōshirō's expression and saw that it was much like her own. Maybe a little less shocked than hers, and more confused. He had probably been in similar situations before, and was more used to circumstances others would find shocking.

The crack it the sky was slowly expanding, but nothing happened. Nothing came out of the cracks. It was just… nothingness.

People around them didn't show any sign of noticing the gigantic black crack above them. They probably didn't either, but it was still weird. She knew that normal humans was unaware of the spiritual world and anything related to it, but come on! _It was a giant freaking_ crack _in the sky!_

What they on the other hand _did_ notice were Tōshirō and herself. Some of the people that walked past them stared at them as if _they_ were the strange ones. Well, she couldn't exactly blame them. She and Tōshirō probably did look kind of weird. After all, to anyone but themselves, they were staring at the empty sky with expressions filled with shock and confusion.

"What – in the world – is that?" Karin said slowly.

"I have no idea," was the reply. She took her eyes of the phenomenon in the sky and looked at him.

"I have never seen anything like this," he continued. "The gate between the World of the Living and Soul Society appears as a door. I have never seen an opening between worlds looking like this one. I've never seen anything like this." The last sentence was only a mumbling. He was probably talking more to himself than her at this point.

Karin didn't say anything more. The two of them remained at the spot, staring at the crack. Still nothing.

They were starting to draw attention. Once, a middle-aged woman approached them and put a hand on Karin's shoulder.

"Are you two alright?" she asked with a kind voice. She was of average hight and had long black hair. Dark brown eyes looked at her with concern.

Of course, Karin didn't notice any of this. Her gaze remained at the sky. "Yeah, we're fine," she said absent-mindedly. If you had asked her subsequently, she would've probably been unable to tell if the person talking to her had been a man or a woman. If she remembered talking to someone at all.

The lady's hand remained at her shoulder. She squeezed a little, trying to get the young girl's attention. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Karin said again as an echo of the previous reply.

The lady let go of her shoulder. "If you say so," she said, still concerned. She cast worried glances over her shoulder as she left the two of them. They were still standing there at the exact same spot when she walked around the next corner.

Not long after the woman left, something eventually changed. Karin blinked for the first time in minutes. The first sign of change was the change in the spiritual energy. Then, the crack, which hadn't expanded in a long time, suddenly made a loud noise.

The previously thin cracks in the sky widened and in mere seconds, there was a giant hole in the sky. The amount of spiritual energy that the hole emitted was immense. _Something was coming._

Karin looked a Tōshirō. One look was enough; he could tell what she wanted. With a single movement, he put on the glove and punched her soul out of her body.


	12. What Came Out of the Crack

**Chapter 12**

What Came Out of the Crack

* * *

Karin and Tōshirō were standing side by side beneath the crack, waiting for what was coming.

There was another pulse of Reiatsu. Then the sky exploded.

It was a blinding light. Everything went white. Karin squinted and tried to see what was going on, but her eyes wasn't able to adjust to the light fast enough.

"Kurosaki!" a voice shouted close to her.

"Tōshirō!" she shouted back and reached out her hands. Her hands met his, and she calmed down knowing that he was close.

"What the hell is this!" she asked slightly panicked.

She was getting back her vision. She didn't know if it was because of the light disappearing or her eyes adjusting to it.

"I don't know," Tōshirō answered. She could see him now. He didn't have his usual mask of indifference, and his voice wasn't monotone.

Karin looked around. The light _was_ disappearing. She became aware of the Reiatsu around her. And it wasn't just one.

She stopped breathing for a moment when she saw the sources of the Reiatsu.

Karin remembered the monster from the day when she first met Tōshirō. It was the first time she'd ever seen a Hollow. It hadn't even been a normal Hollow. She still got chills when she thought about it. The monster had been grotesque.

This was so much worse.

All around her, there were these _things_ , which each emitted an immense Reiatsu. They were unlike anything she'd ever seen, or ever _imagined_ to see,

Around her, there were dozens of Hollow-alike creatures, but none of them were what one could call a _Hollow_. They were all… Karin didn't manage to come up with a word that could describe what they were like. They were disgusting, _hideous,_ and even compared to the monstrous Hollows, they were abominations.

Karin wasn't able to say a single word, and by the looks of it, neither was Tōshirō. For a moment, everything stood still. Neither the two of them nor the monstrosities around them moved. Then all hell broke loose.

She froze. What was she going to do? She had so do something, but her body wouldn't move. Her vision became unclear.

"Snap out of it!" a voice shouted in her ear. Tōshirō held her shoulders and was shaking her.

Around her, the monstrosities were attacking random people at the streets, but she barely noticed. She found herself unable to focus. Everything seemed like a horror movie. It didn't look real.

"Kurosaki!"

Karin wasn't able to move.

"Damn it, Kurosaki! _KARIN!"_

Someone slapped her in the face and Karin found herself on the ground. She blinked. The world seemed to get back into focus. She became aware of everything around her.

Karin got up on her feet again. She took a deep breath and looked at Tōshirō. "Thanks," she said simply.

Then she drew her Zanpakutō. "Let's to this."

And the fight began.

The monsters were resistant. Killing these creatures was the most difficult task Karin had faced as a Shinigami so far. They were mindless monsters, but nevertheless powerful. Their Reiatsu was incredible, and their destructing powers immense.

Another part of what made them so difficult to defeat was the fact that they were _smart._ Yes, it is true that they were mindless monsters, but they didn't just go around trashing everything in their way. Karin understood that this was serious. She couldn't underestimate them.

"Hadō no 33, _S_ _ō_ _katsu_ _i_ _!_ " Tōshirō shouted some place next to her. She saw a bright blue light in her peripheral vision and heard something explode.

Karin hadn't time to see what it was, because a second later she had to face another one of those monsters. She swung her katana, but it didn't leave a scratch. This particular one had some kind of hard shell which worked as an armour.

It didn't take long before she discovered its weakness, though. The armour only protected the curved back and the upper part of its body. She found the soft spot on its stomach and pierced it with her sword.

She didn't stop to watch it die, but moved on to the next one. There was no time.

She was moving fast. Faster than she ever thought she would be able to. The constant stream of Hollows was neverending. Once she defeated one, another appeared. There was no end to this. She never paused, and she could feel how the fighting drained both her physical strength and spiritual energy.

Tōshirō didn't seem to be doing much better. His attacks were getting weaker. "Hadō no 31, _Shakkah_ _ō_!" he shouted.

Karin witnessed the attack for the first time a while ago. It had produced a rather big ball of red light which had taken out three monsters at once when fired. Now, the attack barely injured _one_.

The injured monster howled in anger and attacked Tōshirō, who had no way to defend himself. Karin didn't stop to think, but ran in between them and stopped the attack with her katana. She winced when one of the monster's claws hit her side. Karin swung her Zanpakutō once, and the monster disappeared.

"You fool," Tōshirō said irritated.

"Is that how you adress the one who saved your life?" she smirked. Then she grimaced when she felt the pain from her wound.

"I would have been fine," he said.

"Sure you would have," she said with little conviction. She was about to turn around to face another monster, but Tōshirō stopped her.

"You should get out of here," he said. "I'll hold the off and you escape."

"You're kidding, right?" she said, shocked over what he was telling her. "How can you ask me to do that?"

"This is Shinigami business. This isn't something you should have to give your life away for."

"Well, if you hadn't noticed, I _am_ a Shinigami at the moment," she said pointing at herself and her outfit. "And I'm not gonna give up my life. I am going to get out of here alive, and so are you."

Tōshirō seemed like as if he was going to say something, but Karin didn't give him the chance. "Just shut up and fight," she said and turned around. With one attack, she sliced three of the closest monsters in half.

Tōshirō seemed to have regained some of his determination and fired another ball of red light. Karin couldn't resist to smile.

The battle went on.

* * *

" _Shakkahō!_ " Hitsugaya shouted and fired a new Red Fire Ball. His attacks were getting weaker and weaker. He knew he would not last much longer.

During the last month since he lost his powers, his Reiatsu had slowly been restoring itself. It went slower than he had expected, but then again, he _did_ loose all of his powers. When Kurosaki took his powers, his level of spiritual energy had been reduced to almost nothing.

Now, he was able to successfully perform Kidō. He still wasn't able to do high level Kidō, but at least he could do lesser ones. When done right, they were surprisingly efficient.

He had to admit, Kurosaki was doing great. Looking at the way she swung her Zanpakutō and fought, it was hard to believe that she was only a human. Even after she got seriously injured, she continued to fight. She had the spirit of a true Shinigami.

Hitsugaya had almost given up for a second. He could see that Kurosaki was slowly being drained of power, and he was as well. He was sure this would end with the death of both him and her if they continued like this.

He knew _he_ couldn't leave. It was his duty as a Shinigami to stay and fight until the very end, but he had hoped that at least Kurosaki could get away. He _wanted_ her to get away. She was only a human and shouldn't have to die for this.

But she had refused. When he thought about it, he should have known it would be useless. He knew that Kurosaki would never give up, and that she could never abandon these innocent souls. Her fighting spirit had given him new hope, and he was somehow able to continue fighting, even though his Reiatsu was weakening.

With Bakudō and Hadō he was able to keep the mutated Hollows at distance. He tried to take down as many as he could, but his attacks were weakening as well. He had gotten a number of lesser injuries, but nothing that would kill him.

He was more worried about Kurosaki. Her injuries seemed to be pretty serious. She was bleeding heavily from the wound on her left side. He could see that she was loosing energy, fast.

"Bakudō no 1, _Sai!_ " Hitsugaya shouted and bound the Hollow in front of him. It wouldn't be able to hold him for long, but it gave him time. He mumbled the incantation before be shouted: "Hadō no 31, _Shakkahō!_ "

This time, the Hadō had its effect. Usually, he didn't have to say the incantation before performing a Kidō. He wasn't as good as his friend and fellow Lieutenant Hinamori, but Hitsugaya could do even high-level Kidō without having to chant the incantation. The Hollow in front of him exploded.

He was about to turn around to repeat the action on another one when he froze. He wasn't able to move a muscle as he saw Kurosaki being pierced by a Hollow's arm. She fell to the ground and remained there.

"KARIN!" he shouted and ran towards her unmoving body. "NO!"

This could not be happening! He fired another Hadō towards a Hollow that was approaching her and it blew up.

Hitsugaya fell down on his knees beside the injured girl. He almost laughed out of relief when he discovered that she was still breathing. "Karin! Don't you dare die on me now!" No reaction.

Damn it! What was he going to do? Her Shihakushō was soaked in blood. Her breath was rasping and he could tell that she was having a hard time breathing. Hitsugaya had never been good with Healing Kidō, and there were little he could do other than try to hold the Hollows away, waiting for a miracle.

He was about to give up all hope when suddenly something changed. The Hollows turned their attention away from Kurosaki and himself. He could hear the sound of fighting. There were explosions, both bigger and smaller ones. Hitsugaya used his body to cover Kurosaki's.

When he looked up again, everything was quiet. There was no more fighting. Around him he could see Hollows dissolving into nothing until the area was empty. The only ones left were him, Kurosaki and the three newcomers.

The people approached and to his surprise, he recognized one of them. "Hanakari?"

"Oi, Hitsugaya!" the red-head shouted. The three of them stopped in front of him. Next to the boy was a girl with long black hair and a man in green.

"Yare, yare," said the one in green. A hat with green and white stripes shadowed his eyes and the rest of his face was covered by a fan. "What a mess."

* * *

A/N: I would just like to say thank you to all of you that have read, followed, favourited and reviewed this story so far! I really appreciate it and it keeps me motivated. Thanks everyone! Feel free to leave a comment :)


	13. At Urahara Shōten

**Chapter 13**

At Urahara Shōten

* * *

"So, Hitsugaya-fukutaichō," the man called Urahara Kisuke said. "What did you want to talk about?"

They were at Urahara Shōten. Hitsugaya and Urahara sat in one of the rooms behind the shop. Kurosaki was staying in another room being treated by one of Urahara's employees, Tsukabishi Tessai. Hitsugaya didn't like to be away from her when she was in that condition, but he and the man in green needed to talk.

Urahara was clearly well aware of the existence of both Shinigami and Soul Society. If Hitsugaya had to guess, he would say that he was a former Shinigami himself. He was familiar with the ways of Soul Society and his shop was full of Shinigami equipment. It made sense.

Hitsugaya wasn't sure whether or not to trust this guy, but he was indebted to him for saving Kurosaki. So he would listen to what he had to say and try to find out more about him. For some reason, the name 'Urahara' sounded familiar, but he wasn't able to remember where he had heard it before.

After the defeat of the monsters that came out of the crack, Hitsugaya had followed Urahara back to the shop. Urahara had insisted, telling him that they would take care of Kurosaki. They seemed to know her well, so he had reluctantly agreed.

He had carried Kurosaki himself, refusing to let anybody else take her. He was still suspicious of the shop-owner.

"Who are you?" was his first question. "How do you know so much about Shinigami and Soul Society?"

"My name is Urahara Kisuke, as I told you earlier," the man in green answered, "and I'm the owner of this shop. As for the second question, I have known many Shinigami in the past and are familiar with the ways of Soul Society."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes, unsatisfied with the answer. "You knew Shinigami in your past? How come? Are you a Shinigami?" This person in front of him couldn't possibly be a regular human being.

First of all, he knew about Shinigami and Soul Society. Secondly, he could see spirits and Hollows—and could even fight them. He possessed Shinigami equipment and the one called Tessai had clearly been using Healing Kidō when tending to Karin's wounds. There was no way these were normal people.

"I am no Shinigami," the man in front of him replied. "I'm just a simple store-owner."

Hitsugaya could feel his eyes narrow further. This man was definitely hiding something. How was it that he managed to evade the actual question? He was about to ask another one when he heard a familiar voice in the room next to them.

"Tōshirō?" Kurosaki called.

Hitsugaya was up on his feet faster that you could blink and on his way to the room where Kurosaki lay.

"I'm here," he said and sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry," she said weakly. Her eyes tried to find his, but she was still not able to see clearly. Hitsugaya grabbed her hand to let her know where he was.

"You fool," he said gently. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I should have been stronger," she continued and closed her eyes. She seemed to be only half awake.

"No, it's I who should apologize. I am the one who got you dragged into this in the first place," he said and the guilt grew inside of him.

It became quiet for a minute. Then she opened her eyes slightly and asked: "Did you get hurt, Tōshirō?"

"That isn't anything you should worry about, Kurosaki," he replied. "I'm fine. You should focus on recovering from you own injuries."

Kurosaki closed her eyes again. She didn't say anything more. Perhaps she fell asleep. He should give her some rest. Hitsugaya stood up and was about to leave when he heard her voice again.

"Tōshirō." It was barely a whisper. Her eyes were still closed. A small smile appeared in her face. "I like it better when you called me by my first name."

Hitsugaya couldn't resist to smile himself. He could see how her body relaxed and her breathing calmed. She was asleep.

"Sleep well, Karin," he said, before leaving the room.

* * *

When Karin woke up again, she could see clearly. She became aware of her surroundings and was surprised to see that she recognized them. This was the inside of Urahara Shōten.

She tried to get up, but found soon out that it wasn't a very good idea. Her whole body hurt, and it became even worse when she tried to move. She looked down and found herself covered in bandages.

"Karin-chan?"

Karin looked up and a familiar face appeared in the door opening. "Ururu?"

Ururu smiled. "It's good to see that you are awake."

Karin was about to panic when she remembere yesterday's event, but managed to stay calm. "Ururu, is Tōshirō nearby?" she asked.

"Yes. Do you want see him?"

She nodded.

"I'll see if I can find him then." Ururu closed the door behind her and Karin was left alone once again. She tried to sit up again, but slower this time. After struggling a bit, she finally managed to sit up. She grit her teeth at the pain.

"Karin. You shouldn't be sitting up."

Karin scowled at the white-haired boy who had appeared in the doorway. "Are you aware of how long it took me to get up? I'm not lying down again," she said.

"Do you _want_ to reopen those wound?" Tōshirō said as he sat down beside her.

"I'll be fine."

"Oh, well. I'm not going to try to change your mind. It is clearly nothing I've had any luck with in the past," he said and rolled his eyes.

Karin smirked. Then she asked: "Why are we here at Urahara Shōten anyway? Do you know Urahara-san?"

"I'd never seen him before I met him today. But how do you know him?"

"He's an old friend of my father, and Jinta is in my class," Karin explained. She had been at the shop before, but only a few times.

"I see," Tōshirō replied. He got a pensive look.

"Tōshirō, would you help me up?" Karin asked when he didn't say anything more.

"You need to rest," he replied. "You shouldn't stand up."

"If you don't help me, I will get out of here by myself," she said stubbornly. She was about to push herself up when Tōshirō appeared next to her.

"Fine," he said and put one of his arms under hers. "But don't complain to me when you rip up your wounds."

With Tōshirō's help she was able to slowly stand up. She let out a groan of pain and Tōshirō sent her worried glances. "I'm fine," she managed to say.

Slowly, they approached the door. _One step at a time,_ she said to herself. _I'm alright._ She certainly didn't feel alright, but that couldn't be helped.

The two of them reached the door and Tōshirō opened it. In the other room sat Jinta, Ururu, Urahara and Tessai around a low round table. Tōshirō helped her down and Karin sighed in relief. Who would have thought that walking could be so hard?

"Karin-san," Urahara greeted. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," she said simply. Lie. She felt like crap.

"Well, then. Hitsugaya-san, if you could please tell us more about the current situation," Urahara said and turned towards Tōshirō.

Tōshirō nodded. "I was sent here on a mission. As you probably have noticed, the spiritual activity in this town have been unstable lately," he started. "Many of the Shinigami who were previously stationed here in Karakura have died, and we do not know why."

What? Karin blinked in surprise. Why was he telling _Urahara_ all of this? Actually, what was they doing here in the first place? "Wait a minute," she blurted out. "What is going on here?"

"What do you mean?"

She looked at Urahara, a man she had known for a long time. The perfectly normal, but somewhat creepy, candy-store owner. Why were they suddenly talking about Shinigami as if it was the most natural thing in the world?

"Well, you know… how do you know… eh, Shinigami?" she said uncertain.

Urahara looked at Tōshirō again. "You didn't tell her?"

Tōshirō shrugged. "I thought it would be best if you told her yourself."

Urahara nodded. "I see." Then he looked at her. "Yes, I am familiar with Shinigami and Hollows. I know about Hitsugaya-san's situation, as well as your own."

Karin stared blankly at him. Then she shot a nervous glance towards Jinta and Ururu. Jinta noticed it. "It's okay. We know as well." Somehow, that didn't make her feel any better.

"But how?" she asked. This was just unreal. He was a candy-store owner! And Jinta, her classmate and rival? She didn't get.

"I know this must have come as a surprise, but right now we have other things we need to focus on," Urahara said seriously.

Karin wasn't sure what to do, but let Tōshirō continue.

"When I first met Karin, it was when her family was being attacked by some kind of mutated Hollow. And now, a month late, a crack appeared between this would and Hueco Mundo. Clearly, something strange is going on in Hueco Mundo. This has never happened before," he finished.

It was quiet in the room. None of the people around the table said anything. Urahara had a thoughtful expression.

"Well, this is certainly something," Urahara said after a while. Then he stood up. "We will look into it."

"Thank you, Urahara-san, I appreciate it" Tōshirō said, but he had a funny look on his face that Karin wasn't quite able to decipher. Karin herself still wasn't able to say anything.

Tōshirō helped her up and they said goodbye to the group. Or, Tōshirō said goodbye and she just stared like an idiot.

Karin tried to walk as normal as possible, but it was hard considering her injuries. They went outside, and to her surprise, the sun was setting. "What time is it?" she asked Tōshirō.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I guess it's evening."

Karin stared at him. "Saturday?"

"No, Sunday."

She blinked. "What? Was I unconscious for so long?" She had been sleeping for an entire day.

Then she realised something.

"My family," she said slightly panicked. "I've been gone for almost two days!" She had just taken off without saying anything. How could she do that to them? Especially to Yuzu and Ichigo!

She wanted to run home and tell them that she was alright, but her body wouldn't let her. Damn these injuries!

The to of them had to walk back, a lot slower than Karin would have liked to. Tōshirō walked beside her, without saying anything. It was getting late. By the time they reached his apartment, it was almost completely dark.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Tōshirō asked when they arrived his apartment. "I can follow you home if you like."

"No, I'll be fine," she said reassuringly. "See you later."

It longer than she expected to reach the house, considering the short distance. She went inside and found her family around the table, eating.

"Karin-chan?" Yuzu said when she discovered her.

Karin didn't know what to say. "Er, hi?"

"Onee-chan!" shouted Ichigo and ran towards her. "Where have you been?"

The guilt hit her like a punch in the face. "I'm sorry I've been away for so long, and that I didn't say anything."

"We're just glad you're okay," Yuzu smiled.

Karin returned the smile and sat down by the table. She felt another stick of guilt when she notices that the one who set the table had taken out a plate for her as well.

"So, Karin," her father said in a tone that was very unlike him. "Where have you been?" His face was serious.

"Er, you see—"

She didn't get to continue, because Isshin cut her off. "Have you been with you new boyfriend?" he grinned. That was more like him.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Karin shouted annoyed. It didn't take long before she realised the mistake.

"So you _were_ with him!"

"Urusei! There's nothing going on between us!" Dammit! Why did her father have to be such an idiot?

"If you say so," her father pouted. "Just give us head up next time, okay?"

"Yeah," Karin mumbled, glad she didn't have to explain herself further. They ate in silence.

"I'll be in my room," Karin said when they finished the meal. She stood up, carefully not to cause any damage to her wounds, and went upstairs. She tried not to limp.

Karin didn't even bother brushing her teeth, and went straight to bed. She sighed. What a week. _Maybe I should stay home from school tomorrow,_ she thought and closed her eyes.


	14. Chappy

**Chapter 14**

Chappy

* * *

" _Hitsugaya!"_ a familiar voice shouted in his ear.

"Matsumoto-taichō," Hitsugaya greeted. "What is it?"

" _Always the enthusiastic one, eh?"_ his captain chirped. _"Lighten up a little!"_

"What are you calling about?" Hitsugaya asked again, ignoring his captains giggling.

" _Straight to business, as always,"_ Matsumoto pouted. _"Well, then. Hitsugaya, you time is up."_

Hitsugaya froze. "What?"

" _You heard me,"_ she said seriously. _"You've been in the World of the Living for two months now. And considering your reports, there's not much more you can do."_

Hitsugaya listened shocked to what his captain said, unable to say anything himself. She continued. _"There was an incidence when you first arrived Karakura, and one last month as well. From what you have told us, it looks like something is going on in Hueco Mundo, and that Karakura is the place where those two worlds connect."_

Matsumoto paused. Hitsugaya tried to get a hold of himself. He knew this was bound to happen at some point, but he couldn't help it. He was shocked. Time had passed without him noticing, and suddenly, it was gone.

Hitsugaya cleared his throat. "So, what is going to happen next?"

" _Well, first of all, your mission is complete, and you are to return to Soul Society. A team from the Department of Research and Development will be sent to Karakura to continue the investigation."_

Hitsugaya took a deep breath. This was bad. He hadn't realised that he had so little time left. What was he going to do about Karin?

During the past month, his powers had restored themselves and were almost at a 100 percent. He didn't doubt that he would be able to return to his Shinigami form if he had wanted to, but for some reason he had chosen not to.

"I see," Hitsugaya said monotone. On the inside, there was an emotional chaos, but he kept his mask on. "How much time do I have?"

" _Well, the Squad 12 team will arrive in Karakura_ _during next week_ — _don't know the exact day_ — _so only a couple of days_ _,"_ she said. There was curiosity in her voice. _"Why? Have you finally opened you eyes for the beauty of the Human World?"_ she asked teasingly.

"Che. I was simply just wondering," he lied. "Well, then. Was there anything else?"

" _Not really. But are you sure you can't bring me anything from the Human World?"_ she asked.

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "The answer haven't changed since last time you asked, Matsumoto-taichō."

" _Ah, well. It was worth a try!"_ his captain said, trying not to sound too disappointed. _"See you in a couple of days!"_

Hitsugaya sighed and hung up. Then he remembered Karin.

What was he going to do? Of course, _he_ would just have to return to Soul Society, but what was he going to do about Karin? What was he going to tell her?

He would eventually have to tell her. He still had a few days, but he would eventually have to tell her. And what was he going to do about her powers? Gotei 13 would at some point find out. What was going to happen to her then?

Hitsugaya had expected her powers to disappear as he recovered his own. He had only borrowed her his Shinigami powers, and didn't expect them to last. However, after two month, her powers didn't show any sign of disappearing.

It would have been easier of they had just disappeared. He could have left Karakura without needing to worry about her, and she could have gone back to her old life. He knew he had been selfish when he had dragged her into this mess. Maybe it was for the best that he left.

But still.

She possessed Shinigami powers, and there was little he could do about it. She had an extraordinary high Reiatsu, and would at some point be found out.

Hitsugaya cursed himself. This shouldn't have had to happen. He shouldn't have done what he did. He shouldn't have given her Shinigami powers; he should have found another way.

Hitsugaya realised that he was wandering restless around in his relatively small apartment. He stopped and smashed his hand down on the table in frustration. What was he going to do?

Damn it all! What was he going to do?

* * *

"Hey, Tōshirō!"

The white-haired boy turned around and her grey eyes met his turquoise. "Yes?"

Two months had passed since "the crack" appeared. Things had gone back to normal since then. Yes, in the start it had been slightly awkward whenever she met Jinta at school, or Ururu when she visited Yuzu. All of them had avoided the subject and just pretended that it never happened, so things had slowly returned to how they used to be.

In the days after the attack, Karin had stayed home. She had told her father and sister that she was sick so she could get some time to recover. Tōshirō hadn't been at school either, but that was mostly because she hadn't been there, thus he had no reason to be there either.

It didn't take long, though, before she was back at 100 percent. These Shinigami powers also speeded up her healing process, which she was grateful for. She really hated to have to sit still all day, not being able to do anything.

"You are going in the wrong direction, you know," she said when she caught up to him.

"What?"

" _You are going in the wrong direction_ ," she repeated slowly. "Math is the other way."

Tōshirō stared at her for a second. Even though he was standing right in front of her, it still seemed like he was far away.

"Right," he said after a while and started walking in the other direction.

What was up with him? He had been so distant the entire day. It was like he wasn't even there. He only talked when she asked him something, and she usually had to ask the question twice before he heard it.

Tōshirō hadn't been a very talkative person to begin with, but this was different. Karin walked next to him, but he took no notice of her. This was very unlike him.

Tōshirō remained distant for the rest of the day. He didn't say anything. His expression varied between emotionless and pensive. Because of his unusual behaviour, Karin was very surprised when Tōshirō suddenly decided to talked to her again. He stopped her after their last class finished.

"Karin," he started. "Before we go home, there's something we need to do."

"What is it?" Karin asked, a bit surprised. He had been so quiet all day that she hadn't expected him to say anything.

Karin followed him. They went the opposite direction of their homes and she wondered where they were headed. After a ten minutes walk she found out, and she didn't like it.

"Why are we outside Urahara Shōten?" she asked. To her annoyance, he didn't answer. She followed him inside.

"Urahara-san," Tōshirō greeted the man in green.

"Hitsugaya-san, Karin-san," Urahara said. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I would like to buy a Gikongan," Tōshirō answered. Karin wondered what that was, but she decided not to ask. If he had dragged her with him all the way out here, he probably intended to tell her anyway.

"Do you have any preferences?" Urahara asked.

"Just take one."

"Okay. Ururu? Would you go and get one?" Urahara asked the black-haired girl who nodded and disappeared to another room.

She came back holding a little package at the size of Karin's hand which she handed to Tōshirō. "Thank you," he said and grabbed it.

He paid for the item and the two of them left the store. When they came outside, he handed the package over to Karin. She looked questioningly at him and he nodded.

Karin opened the package and something fell out. She looked at it. It was a cylinder with a bunny-head on top of it. On the cylinder was the words "soul candy" written with colourful letters.

"Soul candy?" she repeated questioningly.

"Yeah," Tōshirō said with a hint of annoyance to his voice. "Its original name is "Gikongan", but some female Shinigami didn't thought it sounded "cute" enough. So they changed it into Soul Candy."

"But what is it?" she asked, still unaware of what this "Soul Candy" actually was.

"Oh, right, I forgot. A Gikon is an artificial soul, and a Gikongan is an artificial soul pill. It is an easier method to separate your soul from your body, compare to me punching it out. You put it into your Gigai—or your body, in your case—and the Gikon take care of the body until you comes back," he explained.

He hesitated for a moment before he added: "And you will be able to get out of your body if I should not be present."

Karin frowned when she heard the last part. There was something in his voice that made her believe that there were more to it than only what he told her. But she knew he wouldn't tell her even if she asked. She could tell just by looking at him.

Karin looked at the Soul Candy with scepticism.

"Try it," Tōshirō said.

She hesitated for a moment before she swallowed a pill. She felt the familiar feeling of her soul being pulled out of her body, but this time, her body didn't hit the ground. It remain standing, and _was grinning at her_.

Karin looked at her body with wide eyes. Being dragged out of her body was strange enough, but to have it stand beside you, and _grin_ at you was just _weird_. There were no other ways to describe it. It was just weird.

"Hi!" her body shouted and Karin flinched. "My name is Chappy!"

Her body jumped over her. "What the—" Karin exclaimed as "Chappy" gave her a big hug and giggled. Her body was acting as un-Karin as you could get it. Its eyes were wide and it was grinning all over its face. _Her_ face.

"Tōshirō, what the heck?!" Karin shouted as she lost her balance. Karin tried to fight her body, desperately trying to get it off of her. "What—is—this—thing?!" she asked while struggling to push "Chappy" away.

"It's Chappy. It's the most popular Soul Candy among female Shinigami," he said serious. Chappy looked up at him.

"Yay, Whitey!" she shouted and jumped at him. "My name is Chappy!"

The white-haired boy didn't move at all as Chappy hugged him.

"How do I get this thing out?!" Karin said slightly panicked. What if somebody saw her like this? They would believe she was insane!

"Well, you just step into you body again, as you usually do," he explained with Chappy all over him.

Karin grabbed her body and 'stepped into it', as Tōshirō had referred to it as. The pill came out of her mouth and she caught it. She scowled at it as she put it back into to cylinder.

She scowled at Tōshirō. "Don't expect me to say thank you," she said irritated.

Tōshirō shrugged. "Just keep it with you. Just in case."

They walked home together. Karin thought about the Soul Candy in her pocket. No way that she was ever going to put that _thing_ into her body again.


	15. Morning Workout

**Chapter 15**

Morning Workout

* * *

Karin woke up the next morning feeling a familiar presence. She opened her eyes sleepily. "Mornin', Tōshirō," she mumbled half awake.

Wait, what?

"Tōshirō?!" she exclaimed when she realised that the white-haired boy stood in the middle of her room, looking at her. "The heck are you doing here? _How long have you been standing there?!_ "

"I just arrived," he said indifferent. Knowing that made her feel a little better, but not nearly enough.

"Surely you could have knocked," she said irritated. "And how did you get in here in the first place?"

"The window," he replied and pointed a finger in the direction of the half-opened window. _Note to self,_ Karin thought, _don't sleep with the window_ _opened_ _in the future._ She always left it ajar before she went to bed, but no more.

"Well, you don't come sneaking into people's room when they're sleeping. In fact, you don't sneak into people's rooms _at all_."

Karin lay back down again. "Man, what time is it?" She was so sleepy.

"Seven in the morning, and time for us to go," he answered.

" _Seven?_ " Karin groaned. "You know it's Saturday, right?"

Tōshirō's expression remained unchanged. "Yeah, so? Don't you wake up at the same time on Saturdays?"

"No! It's week-end! We don't have school on Saturdays!"

"I know that!" he said irritated.

Karin sat up again. When she looked at Tōshirō once more she discovered that he was wearing the black Shinigami outfit. "You are a Shinigami again," she said and pointed at his clothing. It was a question.

"Yes. I've recovered most of my powers," he answered.

Karin nodded. She had noticed how his Reiatsu had been increasing steadily during the past few weeks, so it wasn't really a surprise.

"If we're not going to school, where did you want us to go?" she asked, still a bit annoyed.

"To train," he answered. "I'm going to show you how to use your Zanpakutō."

"But I already know how to use my Zanpakutō!" Karin complained.

"You know how to swing a katana aimlessly around you," Tōshirō said with something that could remind of amusement in his voice. "You never learned how to properly use a Zanpakutō."

Karin let another unhappy noise escape her. "But _s_ _even_ in the morning?"

"Yes."

"Can't we at least take it later?" she begged. Seven o'clock was way too early for her.

"Kurosaki, get up."

"Fine, fine," she said and gave in. "Turn around." He did as he was told. She got up and changed her cloths. She touched his shoulder when she was finished and he turned back.

"I'm just going to eat some breakfast," she said and opened the door to her room. "Meet me outside." He nodded and she left the room.

"Karin-chan!" her sister said surprised when she came down. "It's unusual for you to be awake so early."

"Yeah, I forgot to turn off the alarm," she said. She continued: "I'm going out for a while, can you tell Ichigo?" She didn't bother mentioning her father, he probably didn't mind anyway.

"Sure," her sister smiled.

Karin ate her breakfast hurriedly before she went outside. Tōshirō was waiting for her, leaning against the house wall. "You mind if I leave my body at you place?" she asked him. "I don't want my family to find it and believe it's dead."

"Sure," he replied. They stopped by his apartment before continuing westward.

"So, where are we going?" she asked, now in a black Shihakushō matching Tōshirō's. She was running behind him, trying to keep up.

"I haven't really picked a place, but we should probably get out of town," he replied.

"Out of town? That is quite some distance, you know."

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, it's going to take some time to get out of here."

"Running out of town will be the warm-up."

"You're kidding, right?" Karin asked with her eyebrows raised.

His expression was dead serious. Why did she even bother asking? Of course he was serious, it was _Tōshirō_. She groaned. " _Seven in the morning_ ," she complained.

Tōshirō jumped up on the roof of one of the houses nearby. Karin remained on the ground, watching him in amazement as he jumped to another building. "Are you coming?" he shouted down at her.

"I can't do that!" she shouted back. Did he seriously believe that she would run across _rooftops?_ How did he even do that? He was jumping from roof to roof as it was the most natural thing to do. She ran beside him, several stories beneath him.

"Sure you can. It's easy."

She stared at him. "No. I'm not doing it!"

"Yes, you are!" he said. "You know how to do this. You've done it before."

"I thing I would have remembered if I had," Karin replied scornfully.

"Think, Karin. When you are fighting a Hollow, don't you ever jump? It's not like you're standing down on the ground all the time."

Karin thought about it. He was right, she realised, she _had_ been making some moves that should be impossible. But when she was fighting it all came so natural. This was different. "Still not doing it!"

Tōshirō disappeared from the rooftops and was beside her again. Then he grabbed her hand and jumped. Karin didn't even have the time to squeal.

"Tōshirō! What the heck?!" she said in panic. Before she knew it, they were on the top of a building. Tōshirō dragged her with him by the sleeve. The gap between this building and the next was approaching with a frightening speed.

Tōshirō still held her hand when they jumped. She would have closed her eyes in fear, but she was too panicked to do anything else than jump. Closing your eyes while running on rooftops wouldn't have been very wise anyway.

"See?" Tōshirō said and released her hand. "That wasn't too bad, now was it?"

Karin scowled angry at him. "Idiot."

"Running on rooftops is something every Shinigami should know how to do," Tōshirō said. "It makes it so much easier to get from one point to another."

"Well, I'm not really a Shinigami, so was that really necessary?"

"In some way, you are, so yes," he said and Karin sent him another scowl. Tōshirō smirked. "See? Your doing fine." Then he turned around and started running.

"Hey, wait!" she shouted, and ran after him. Tōshirō didn't slow down, but he sent her a teasing glance, challanging her to keep up. Karin speed up, gritting her teeth as she jumped over to another building.

Discontent, she realised that Tōshirō was right – she _was_ doing fine. In fact, it wasn't that much different from running on the ground. Not that she would ever admit that to out loud, so she kept quiet.

After running for a while, she found out that she actually enjoyed this. The buildings were getting higher and higher, and it tickled in her stomach when she looked down. It was almost disappointing when they reached the outskirts of Karakura.

They stopped on one of the hills a good distance away from the town. Tōshirō didn't waste time and grabbed the hilt of the katana he kept on his back. He drew it and pointed it at her. "Unsheathe your Zanpakutō, Kurosaki."

He didn't have to ask twice. Karin drew her Zanpakutō and mirrored Tōshirō's movements. They stood on each their side of a cliff, facing each other.

"Ready?" Tōshirō asked.

"Ready," Karin repeated.

They attacked each other and the sound of metal against metal echoed in the distance.

* * *

Hitsugaya had to hand it to her, her fighting skills weren't _that_ bad. She was beyond the level of an Academy student, but she still had a long way to go. She had been forced to fight without any form of formal training, so that was just natural. Karin definitely had talent, but she didn't have the basics that every Shinigami required at the Shin'ō Academy. So that was what he was focusing on.

"Remember your feet," Hitsugaya commented when he blocked an attack. "You can't fight with your arms and upper body only. If you're out of balance, you will die."

Karin rolled her eyes. "How dramatic."

Hitsugaya attacked and she barely blocked it. "Never loose your concentration. Not even in fights between friends." He proceeded to explain what she could do to improve her footwork.

Karin jumped away and regained her balance. Her expression was serious. She attacked again and the spar continued.

Hitsugaya wasn't fighting her seriously, of course. He kept his fighting level barely above hers, so she would be able to fight back and not only block. He watched her every move closely, looking for both strengths and weaknesses.

"Good," he said when she almost landed a blow on him. "Clever. Strategy is an important part of fighting," he lectured while continuing the spar. "Look for the enemy's weaknesses and use them to your advantage."

Karin was back to sulking. "But you don't have any weaknesses!"

"I'm not necessary talking about myself, but remember it," he said. " _And do not lose your concentration._ "

"'Course not, _Hitsugaya-sensei_ ," Karin said in annoyance.

The fight went on.

Hitsugaya had thought a lot about what he was going to do about Karin after yesterday's call from Matsumoto. He was way more worried than he had thought he would be. He was afraid of what was going to happen when he was not there to look after her.

He knew Karin was very skilled, and that she probably would be fine, but he couldn't help worrying. After getting Shinigami powers, her Reiatsu had increased remarkably and Hollows would appear around her more often.

Karin was more than capable of getting rid of Hollows, he knew that, but what if something like 'The Crack' happened again? She wasn't ready for that.

Hollows would probably not be a problem. The thing that worried him that most was Soul Society. What if they found out about her? Who knows what they would do to her.

After giving this a lot of thought, he decided that he would train her. That was the best way he could help her now. If he just could help her improve her own skills, she would be able to protect herself when he couldn't.

So here they were.

It was midday when Hitsugaya finally decided that it was enough training for today. His Zanpakutō met hers and with one single movement her Zanpakutō was no longer in her hands.

"Hey! What was that for?!" she said irritated and jumped to the place where her Zanpakutō landed.

"I think that is enough for today," he said and sheathed his Zanpakutō.

Karin picked up hers and put it back into its scabbard. "Was about time," she said. "I'm exhausted." She sat down on the edge of the cliff. Hitsugaya joined her.

From where they sat now, they could see the entire town. It was quite a sight.

"This is nice," Karin said.

"Yeah," he agreed.

They sat like that for a while. The sun was high up in the sky, and there was not a single cloud to be seen. The sight reminded him of when he was younger. He and Momo used to sit together, watching the sky.

"Shall we go back?" Karin said after a while and stood up. "I'm hungry."

"Yes," Hitsugaya replied and he stood up as well.

They ran in silence back to the town. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but a nice one.

"Same time tomorrow?" Hitsugaya asked when they reached his apartment.

Karin groaned. "Please, can't you give me some more time? 12 o'clock?"

"No way, that's way too late," Hitsugaya said and scowled. "We would be wasting the entire day."

"Eleven? Ten?" she tried, but he shook his head at both.

"Okay, 8:30," she said determined. "I'm not getting up any earlier than 8:30."

"Fine," Hitsugaya said, agreeing to her compromise. "8:30."

Karin grinned triumphing and turned around. "See you tomorrow!" she shouted over her shoulder.

Hitsugaya watched her as she reached her house and went inside. Then he turned around and went inside himself.


	16. A Promise

**Chapter 16**

A Promise

* * *

Karin had thought Tōshirō's distantness had been a one-time occurrence, but when he showed up at school next Monday, he was just as distant as he had been last Friday. He barely looked at her at all.

She knew something was up, but he refused to tell her what it was. He acted like everything was fine, but during these past two months, Karin had gotten to know him pretty well, and he didn't fool her.

She saw it. He did his best to retain his mask of indifference, but Karin could see through it. Sometimes, she thought could see a glimpse of emotion showing in his eyes, but when she looked again, it was gone.

What was wrong with him? What was it that had made him like this?

He acted like everything was fine, but it wasn't. Karin knew. Even though he did his best to hide it. The way he looked at her sometimes… it confused her.

"Tōshirō!" she said, when she couldn't take it anymore.

" _Tōshirō!_ " she said again a little louder, when he didn't respond. "Hey!"

This time, he heard her. "What?" he asked monotone. Tōshirō had a deep voice which usually was monotone, but this time, something was different. The _emptiness_ in his voice scared her.

"What is wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing is wrong," he answered coolly and looked her in the eyes. Karin had to strain herself not to step backwards.

"If you really believe that, you're just fooling yourself," she said and his look hardened.

"There is nothing wrong," he said again.

"You have to tell me," Karin begged. "Please, tell me, what is wrong?"

" _Nothing is wrong_ , Karin," he said and looked her straight into her eyes. It was a terrifying look which would have made most people back of. She could almost hear him telling her to let it go.

But Karin wasn't the one to give up easy. "Tōshirō, I'm you friend. Tell me, and maybe I can help you."

" _Kurosaki, drop it_ ," he said in a deadly voice. It was barely more than a whisper. She winced when he used her last name.

It took some time for her to regain the ability to speak. "Don't think this is over. You will tell me," she said and tried to hide her emotional pain. The way he shut her out hurt her, more than she had thought it would.

Karin and Tōshirō didn't talk to each other after that. When school finished, they went each their way without a word.

"Karin-chan!" she heard a familiar voice shout when she was about to leave the school area. She turned around and saw Yuzu running towards her. She stopped and waited.

"Aren't you walking with Hitsugaya-kun?" her sister asked when she reached her.

"No," Karin replied and was unable to hide the bitterness in her voice.

Yuzu noticed. "Karin-chan, are you okay? Did something happen between the two of you?"

Karin avoided her glance. "Everything is fine."

"Shall we go?" she added before Yuzu got to say anything more.

Yuzu didn't bring up the subject once more. She knew that Karin didn't want to talk about it, so she wouldn't make her. Karin was grateful for the silence.

They walked home together, picking up Ichigo on the way. It had been a while since she had walked along with her siblings. Karin usually walked home along with Tōshirō. It was strange, and kind of sad, that he wasn't there.

Karin shut the door to her room. She lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Everything was quiet. The silence was an uncomfortable.

She wanted to talk with Tōshirō. She wanted him to tell her what was wrong. Perhaps she should go to him and confront him about it.

Karin considered it. She lay there for a long time, thinking about it. She was about to forget about it when she felt the flare of a familiar Reiatsu.

The Reiatsu disappeared again. She knew who and where it came from. There was only that one Reiatsu, and she couldn't feel any fighting. The flare had been simply to let her know the owner's location. It was an invitation.

Swallowing a Gikongan, she quickly got rid of her body. Now in her soul form, she ran towards the cliffs that had become their training grounds. When she approached the cliffs she could see a figure dressed in a Shihakushō standing on the edge of it.

When she reached the spot where he stood, he drew his Zanpakutō.

Without a word, Karin drew her own.

They attacked each other and for a moment, Karin felt like thing were back to normal. She let the world disappear and the only things left were she, Tōshirō and the sound of their katana clashing.

They sparred until the sun set. Without a word they sat down on the edge of the cliff.

It was quiet. In the distance, they could hear the low noise from the town. Karin cast a glance at her white-haired friend.

Tōshirō looked like he was in deep thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Tōshirō remained quiet for a while before he answered. "It's the view. It brings back memories."

Karin looked at him. The way he had said it made him sound like an old man thinking back on his younger days. How old was he anyway? He _looked_ like he was around her age, but that didn't have to mean anything, considering him being a Shinigami.

Karin found out that she didn't want to know. She looked back forward.

"Karin..." he said after a while. There was a change in his voice. She looked at him again.

"Karin, I have to leave," he said after a moment's hesitation.

"What?" Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"I've been called back to Soul Society. I am leaving the World of the Living," Tōshirō said, looking away.

Karin stared at him. She didn't know what to say; she was speechless. "W-why?" she was able to stutter.

"It's my orders. They consider my mission completed, so I have return to Soul Society," he said.

Karin had always found Tōshirō easy to read. There wasn't many things he care about, and most of the time, he had an expressionless face. He rarely showed any emotions, but when he did, it was easy to discover. Anger, annoyance – even embarrassment, from time to time. He was like an open book.

But not today. She wasn't able to read him like she used to. He didn't have his usual mask of indifference anymore. His face could have been filled with emotion, or it could not. She was unable to tell. It was unreadable.

When she didn't say anything, he continued talking. "You must have known that this was going to happen at some point. I am a Lieutenant; I have responsibilities. I couldn't have remain here forever."

Karin looked down. She had to admit, the thought had never occurred to her. She had never thought about it. What he had said to her shook her.

How could she had _not_ seen this coming? He was right. Of course he at some point would have to go back to his own world. It was only natural.

But still. What was going to happen now? He would leave. And then what? What was she going to do when he was gone?

She didn't know what to say. She was overwhelmed. Time seemed to have frozen. Her eyes were looking in his direction, but she was unable to focus. She was staring at the air between them.

"Karin. Say something," Tōshirō said. He was looking at her again, but Karin was unable to meet his eyes. This time, it was she who had to look away.

What was it that he wanted her to say? She didn't know.

Her hands were clutching her Shihakushō. "When do you leave?" she said hoarse. She had to strain herself so her voice wouldn't shiver.

Tōshirō looked away. He looked at the sunset. "A team from the 12th Division arrived not long ago to continue the investigation." He avoided the question.

"I see."

They fell silent.

"Karin. I need you to listen closely," Tōshirō said and broke the silence. His face was serious. "When the 12th Division Shinigami come, you must not interfere with them. You must not let them discover you."

"Wha-" she started, but Tōshirō cut her off.

"Karin, listen. _You must not_ _let them find_ _out about_ _you,_ " he said intense. She could finally see emotions in his face, but what she saw scared her.

It was fear and uncertainty. It was emotions she had never seen on his face before.

"Why?" was all she managed to say.

"What I did when I gave you Shinigami powers is strictly forbidden. I thought they would eventually disappear, but you still have them."

Tōshirō grabbed her shoulders and looked her deep into her eyes. "Karin, you're in danger. If they ever find out that a human posses Shinigami powers… they'll probably kill you."

Her eyes widened.

"But-"

"Please. Promise me. Avoid using your powers, especially when the team from the 12th division is here. The town will be under surveillance and there will be several Shinigami here. Don't let them discover you. I want you to be safe."

Karin stared at him in shock. Was this really Tōshirō? The way he acted, it was so unlike him. He was _begging_ her. She wasn't sure what to do.

"Karin. Promise me."

"Yes, I promise."

His expression changed—relief?—and he gave her one of his rare smiles. "Thank you."

He stood up. Karin got up as well.

"Wait, are you… leaving _now?_ " Karin asked shocked.

"Yes." He didn't meet her eyes when her replied. "This is good bye."

No! That wasn't—He couldn't just _leave_ like that! So soon? He turned around, but Karin grabbed his sleeve. "Wait! When will I see you again?"

His face hardened. "You won't."

He grabbed the hand which held his sleeve and squeezed. "I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear.

Then he was gone.

Karin fell down on her knees. He was completely gone; she couldn't even sense his Reiatsu. He was gone.


	17. Left Behind

**Chapter 17**

Left Behind

* * *

Karin sat on the edge of the cliff. She couldn't believe what just happened. How could he do that to her? He just… left.

She could feel the empty hole in her chest. It was like a Hollow's hole. It went right through her. The emptiness was almost unbearable. It felt like she was the only one left in the world. When he left, he took a part of her with him.

She was still in her Shihakushō. She clutched it. What what she going to do now?

She looked at the sky. The sun was gone and it was dark. The light from the town was the only source of light. Had she been sitting there for so long? Maybe she should go home… Her family was probably worried.

Slowly, she got up. She started running. The wind blew her in her face as she accelerated.

She slowed down when she reach Tōshirō's apartment. She stopped and stood there for a moment, just looking at it.

The apartment was empty. It had been empty even when Tōshirō lived there. The only things there were the inventory that were already there when he bought it.

Nothing had changed. The apartment was still empty.

Everything had changed. He wasn't there.

She looked away before she continued to her own home. She entered through the window.

She found her body sitting behind her desk, drawing. Chappy turned around when she came in. "Karin-chan!" it shouted.

Had it been another day, another time, Karin may have been angry. Today, however, she just stepped into her body, catching the Gikongan which came out.

She closed the window behind her and fell down on the bed. She stared up on the ceiling. _What now?_ she thought for the hundredth time.

She turned her head and her eyes fell on the bunny-head on the top of the Soul Candy. She closed it. She understood now why he had given it to her.

 _You will be able to get out of your body if I should not be present._

She could still hear his voice.

Friday. That was the first day he had started acting strange. That was probably the day he got the message from Soul Society.

Why didn't he tell her sooner? If he had known since Friday, why did he wait so long?

Karin fell asleep with her clothes on.

* * *

Hitsugaya had known that it would be hard to say goodbye to her, but that it would be so _painful_ he had no idea.

Just looking at her face was killing him. Her confusion, her anger, her pain. It was unbearable.

How could he do that to her? A part of him had wanted to stay in the Living Word with her, and ignore Soul Society's order.

But he couldn't.

He had left her at the cliff where they had trained. He had used Shunpo to get out of there as soon as he could. He couldn't bear it anymore. If he had stayed only a little longer, he had probably been unable to leave her. Her face—

No. He couldn't think about it.

He had opened a Senkaimon only seconds afterwards. Then he had left the World of the Living, knowing that he would never see her again.

Once again he regretted the day they met.

If he only had found another way. He should have been able to save her. But he had failed, and given his powers to Karin so she could do what he could not.

What was going to happen to her now? What if Soul Society ever found out what he had done? Surely, she would be killed, and it would be all his fault.

"Hitsugaya!" said a familiar voice, only minutes after he arrived in Seireitei. His captain appeared in front of him and hugged him so his face disappeared in her boobs. Hadn't thing been as they was, he would probably pushed her away and shouted at her, but he didn't.

Matsumoto noticed it. She pushed him back and studied him, still with a firm grip around his shoulders. "Hitsugaya?"

"Matsumoto-taichō," he said halfheartedly.

"Are you okay?" she asked. A frown had appeared between her brows.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied with little conviction. He pushed her arms away and turned around.

Matsumoto let her arm fall to her sides. She remained at the spot and stared at him as he walked away.

* * *

When Karin arrived at school the next day, she half-expected Tōshirō to be there.

But he wasn't.

 _Of course he isn't,_ Karin said irritated to herself. He left. _He is gone._

The seat next to hers was empty. No one seemed to noticed. It was like he'd never been there.

"Kurosaki!" a voice next to her shouted. She looked up and discovered that her four male friends was gathered around her.

She frowned. "What is it? There is no need to shout me in the ear, you know. I can hear you."

"Well, apparently you don't," Heita said. "That was the third time I said you name." He frowned.

"The class is finished," Kei said and Karin looked around her. The classroom was empty.

"Aren't you coming? It's break time," he continued.

"Yeah, I think Jinta wants a rematch!" Heita said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

Karin didn't respond.

"Hey. Are you alright?" one of them asked.

"Yeah..." she mumbled. "It's just that Tōshirō..." She didn't finish the sentence. Why did she say that anyway? She shock her head.

"Who?"

She looked up and saw four confused faces. "Tōshirō," she repeated a little louder. "Hitsugaya Tōshirō."

None of them seemed to recognize the name. "Don't you remember? He was in this class. He played football with us." She was starting to get nervous. Why didn't they remember?

"There has never been a Hitsugaya Tōshirō in this class," Heita said slowly. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Karin stood up abruptly. The four boys jumped at the sudden movement.

"Kurosaki?" one of them said, but Karin didn't listen. She left the classroom.

What was wrong with her? Why did all of this effect her so much? He was gone. So? He didn't belong to this world. He would have had to leave at some point. She understood that.

She was getting angry. She almost ran through the hallways with no specific destination. It didn't make any sense. What were these feelings? Karin wasn't an emotional person. So why were all these emotions plaguing her?

She didn't want to feel. Feelings were something she had stopped bothering with a long time go. They were useless.

When Karin's mother died, she blocked out most of her emotions. It was easier that way. Indifference had become her defence. All those feelings, they only made her feel miserable, so why pay any attention to them?

She was better off without them.

This was what Karin had told herself for years. She had been totally fine. Until a certain white-haired someone had showed up and changed her world.

He had dragged her into a world she had tried to ignore for so long. He had made her do things she'd never dreamed of. They had developed a relationship which was unlike anything she'd ever had. He had made her care. He had made her… feel again.

When her mother died, Karin had shut the world out. How had Tōshirō been able to change that in mere months? She had opened up again. She had let him in.

Karin slowed down. Her anger burned out. Her steps became shorter and shorter until she stopped up. Students passed by her without paying her any heed. It didn't bother her. She didn't heed them either.

For a moment, she was alone. The world around her didn't exist. She closed her eyes. _Why?_ she asked herself for the umpteenth time. _Why do I feel like this?_

She knew why. It was _his_ fault. She had shut out the world for years. Then he came. He'd forced her to care. He wouldn't let her ignore the world anymore, and he'd made her care about it and those innocent people. She had opened up. And she'd let him in.

There were only few people she'd let herself care about, and they were all family. But even they weren't let inside. Karin hadn't been able to have a close relationship with anybody for years. She had friends, but no 'best friend' which she could open up to. She had even kept her own sister at a distance.

How had Tōshirō been able to change that? He was the exact same as her! He was distant, indifferent and cool. He didn't open up either. He never seem to care about anything.

It didn't make any sense.

Karin started moving again. She ended up at the tribunes from where Tōshirō used to watch her play. She sat down and looked up. The sky was blue and there was not a single cloud to be seen. Strange how such a beautiful day could make her feel so miserable.

"Oi! Karin!" a familiar voice shouted. It was Jinta.

He stopped in front of her. "Where's your team? We're playing!"

Karin didn't reply. He was about to make another statement when she opened her mouth to say something.

"Jinta. You remember Tōshirō?"

"Hitsugaya?" he asked and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I do. Why?"

"I see," Karin said and looked away. Jinta remembered. That made sense. He was different too.

"Hey, Karin! What's up with you? Where is Hitsugaya anyway?" Jinta asked loudly.

"Nothing," she said, answering only the first question.

Jinta probably noticed that there were something off about her. "Whatever," he mumbled and left her alone, which Karin was grateful for.

She tried not to think about anything and emptied her mind. She sat like that for the rest of the brake, just watching the sky.


	18. Back in Soul Society

**Chapter 18**

Back in Soul Society

* * *

It was quiet in the Department of Research and Development. Well, maybe not _quiet._ There was a lot of noise, as always, but in Rin's opinion, this was quiet. There were no alarms, no shouting and no one running hysterically around.

There had been a lot of things going on during these past two months. Especially the incident a month ago had made a lot of uproar. Every alarm in the entire Department had been set of. The radars had exploded.

An incredible amount of spiritual energy had been detected in Karakura Town. The already unstable connection between the Human World and Hueco Mundo had opened. The Department had been in chaos.

Later the same day, they had received a message from Hitsugaya-fukutaichō of the 10th Division. Things had calmed down and he said in the report that the incidence in Karakura had been taken care of.

He didn't give them any further details.

That was only a month ago, and nothing else out of the ordinary had happened since. Hitsugaya-fukutaichō was back in Soul Society and they had sent a team from the 12th Division to continue the investigation.

Speaking of Hitsugaya-fukutaichō, he was supposed to stop by the Department today. Kurotsuchi-taichō had requested that he gave them a more detailed report of the events in Karakura and demanded that he came to the Department personally.

The 12th Division usually didn't sent anyone to the World of the Living. Their captain didn't consider the Human World anything worth doing research on. There were nothing special about the humans.

The latest occurrences had changed his mind, however. The humans were still uninteresting, but there were other things worth investigating. The incident a month ago had caught Kurotsuchi-taichō's attention. So he had sent a team from his Division.

Rin himself had always been fascinated by the Real World. It was interesting. There were so many things there—like _cake_ —that couldn't be found in Soul Society.

Rin felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up from his work. To his surprise, the 10th Division's lieutenant stood in front of him. "Hitsugaya-fukutaichō! My apologies!" he said and bowed.

"I was supposed to come here and tell about the events in Karakura?" the lieutenant said monotone, ignoring his apology.

"Yes! Talk to Akon-san, he's in charge of this mission," he replied quickly and pointed at the brown-haired man with horns on his forehead.

The lieutenant nodded and left. Rin watched him as he went. He stopped in front of the 12th Division's third seat and they started talking. Rin was too far away to hear what they said, but they seemed serious.

This was the first time Rin had actually talked to the lieutenant of 10th Division. He could understand why he was called 'the ice cold lieutenant'. His eyes were like ice; cold and impenetrable. The lack of emotions in them scared him. They were… dead.

Rin had to admit, he was relieved when he finally left the Department. The lieutenant's presence made him uncomfortable. The whole room seemed to have fallen into silence and Rin could swear that it had become colder.

He ate some of the sweets he always carried around in his pocket and continued working.

* * *

Captain of the 10th Division, Matsumoto Rangiku, watched her lieutenant. She was starting to get genuinely worried. No matter how many times he said he was okay, he just couldn't convince her.

Hitsugaya had never been a talkative person. He rarely showed emotions, and when he did, it was usually annoyance. On the outside, he appeared indifferent.

Matsumoto was one of the few people who could claim to actually know Hitsugaya. But still, not even she _really_ knew him. He never talked about himself. She knew very little about him. It was hard to tell what was going on inside his head, and sometimes she wondered if he was the same on the inside as he was on the outside.

But no, of course he wasn't. Matsumoto knew that. She had known him long enough to know that there were more to him than what met the eye.

Maybe she didn't know him as well as she would like to, but she was one of those who knew him the best. So when Hitsugaya had returned from the World of the Living, she had instantly known something was wrong. Everything was wrong.

The way he acted, the way he talked and his whole appearance. She had never seen him like that. He was like a walking dead. Okay, bad comparison. They were all walking dead, but this was different. The light in his eyes was gone.

What happened to him in the Human World? When she had talked to him over the phone, he'd seemed fine. He had acted like his normal self. Of course, it was hard determine something like that over the phone, but Matsumoto knew that something was different.

The last time she called, something _had_ seemed off about him. The way he had reacted when she told him that he was to return to Soul Society had puzzled her. At the time, she had thought that maybe he didn't want to leave the Human world, but after seeing him she knew that there were more to it.

What in the world had happened in the World of the Living? What could have happened that would effect him like this?

She didn't know.

Matsumoto sat in the office with a cup of sake in her hand. There was a pile of unfinished paperwork on her desk, but she had way too much on her mind to be able to concentrate about the work.

She took another sip the sake. She'd been sitting there for hours. This behaviour was very unlike her. To sit in the office all day was something she rarely did. She usually let the paperwork pile up on her desk and do everything else than actually getting it done.

She wasn't in the mood to go out and have fun today. She wasn't in the mood for anything. There were only one thing on her mind today.

She was about to fill up her cup again when Hitsugaya came in, back from the 12th Division. He sat down behind his own desk without even a greeting. He didn't heed her at all.

Another sign that he wasn't his usual self. Normally he would yell at her for drinking in broad daylight and avoiding her work. Today he did not.

He just sat down and did his own paperwork. Matsumoto studied him. If she hadn't known him as well as she did, maybe she wouldn't have noticed the difference. Hitsugaya had a reputation for acting cool and uncaring.

"Hey, Hitsugaya?"

The white-head looked up.

"What happened in the World of the Living?" A simple question.

"Nothing," he answered, just like he had when he first came back.

"Don't think I haven't noticed," Matsumoto said sharper. "You've been acting strange ever since you came back to Soul Society."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Matsumoto put down the cup of sake. "Both you and I know that that isn't true," she said and her expression darkened.

"Nothing. Happened. There."

That was it. "Enough already!" she shouted. She got up and her hand hit the desk so hard that the unfinished paperwork flew all over the place.

She marched over to his desk and grabbed his Shihakushō. "Hitsugaya! I can accept that you won't tell me exactly what happened there, but don't try to make me think nothing is wrong! You've been like this ever since you came back to Soul Society, and it isn't healthy!"

He didn't reply. She looked him in the eye. They were dead. She couldn't see anything in them at all.

She released his Shihakushō and sighed. "I'm going out," she said and left the office.

She would make him talk. Somehow.

* * *

Hitsugaya watched his captain leave the office. Had he really been acting so differently that Matsumoto had noticed? He'd tried to act like he used to. It waasn't that difficut. He rarely felt the need to talk to others and voice his opinions anyway. Sure, he felt terrible on the inside, but that didn't change his outward appearance, did it?

He looked back down at his paperwork. A fair amount of work had piled up in his absence. He didn't mind. Doing paperwork was a perfect opportunity to get him to think of something else than—

He cut himself off. Instead he focused on the forms in front of him. Some papers just needed to be signed. He could sign most of them himself as a lieutenant, but some of them needed his captain's signature. He put those aside.

Others had to be filled out. Those could take a while.

Some were letters that needed to be answered. In that pile, there were requests from both his own Division and the others. It could be questions, or complaints. Or it could be informative letters that didn't need to be answered at all.

Hitsugaya had always been doing a lot of paperwork. Even when Shiba Isshin had been captain and he the Third Seat. Neither the late Shiba-taichō nor Matsumoto-taichō was into doing work. They would much rather to other things, thus he had been left to do all the paperwork.

Usually, it was very irritating. One thing was his own paperwork, but having to do his captain's as well? She was fully capable of doing it herself!

Now however, he was grateful. Doing all this paperwork distracted him so he wouldn't think of—

Hitsugaya stood up and gathered some of the paperwork that was scattered all over the floor. Almost two months of paperwork had piled up. Matsumoto had barely done her paperwork at all in his absence.

This was going to take days. A Division had more paperwork than one would think. There was a lot of things that needed to be taken care of.

Hitsugaya found himself wondering how some of the Divisions even managed to stay functional. Take the 11th Division. Did the Shinigami in the 11th even know what paperwork was? He couldn't imagine a person like Zaraki-taichō ever sitting in an office signing papers.

Well, most of the Divisions were probably doing fine. Other than the 11th, most of them had at least _one_ person, captain or lieutenant, that were relatively responsible. Hadn't it been for Ise Nanao, for example, the 8th Division would probably have stopped functioning a long time ago.

Matsumoto didn't return, and the office fell into silence. In fact, nothing happened at all until several hours later.

Without a sound, several masked men appeared in the office. Hitsugaya stood up in surprise.

It was the Onmitsukidō.

"Hitsugaya-fukutaichō," the leader said. "If you would please follow us."

"What is this?" Hitsugaya asked.

The Onmitsukidō member explained the situation, and his eyes grew wider and wider as he lisentened.

"Execution?" he said shocked when masked man finished talking.


	19. Determination

**Chapter 19**

Determination

* * *

Karin watched the new Shinigami. They wore the standard Shinigami Shihakushō with a completely white haori over it. They were standing at the spot where The Crack had appeared a month ago.

She was watching them in her human form from some distance away. They believed no one could see them, so they didn't pay attention to any of the humans. She was even hiding her Reiatsu so they wouldn't get suspicious.

The Shinigami seemed to do different kinds of tests. They had a bunch of machines which Karin was unfamiliar with. It was kind of strange to watch them. They were standing in the middle of a crowded street with all kinds of devises, and no one noticed.

Of course, that was only natural since no one but Karin could see them.

She had been watching them for quite some time now. And not only today. She had kept an eye on them ever since they came three days ago.

After Tōshirō had left, Karin had tried to get back to her normal routines. She had tried to remember what she had used to do before Tōshirō came. What was her normal routines anyway?

Lately, it had been walking to school along with Tōshirō, killing some Hollows if they appeared, going home along with Tōshirō, patrolling town and killing some more Hollow. She realised that she had spent most of the day with him.

And what was she going to do now when he was gone? It was a major change in her daily life. She would have to change her routines entirely.

That was a part of why she had decided to spy on—no, _keep an eye_ on—those new Shinigami. It was a connection to him.

It was hard to admit, but that was the truth. He had barged into her life and become a part of it. And no that he was gone, she was lost. She knew her life could never go back to the way it was before.

Karin had been sitting there half a day now, and decided that it was time to go home. In fact, she was just about to leave when she saw a door appear in the middle of the street. She stopped.

Out of it came a Shinigami wearing the same white haori as the rest of them. "Hey guys!" she could hear her shout. She said something more, but Karin was too far away to hear what it was.

Slowly, she moved closer to the group and listened more closely.

"...latest news?"

"No! What news?!"

"…the Central 46… …execution…"

Karin blinked when she heard that. An execution? Did they do things like that in Soul Society? She frowned and continued listening.

"Really?! …can't be…"

"….terrible!"

"...last time… …execution…"

"Do you think..."

"…no… …Hitsugaya-fukutaichō..."

Her eyes widened. Hitsugaya? As in Tōshirō? Was he involved with this execution somehow?

"…deserves it after what happened. But Hitsugaya…"

"I can't believe it!"

Karin was getting more and more upset. What in the world was going on? Who was it that was being executed? It couldn't be… Tōshirō? Could it?

No. It had to be something else. She shouldn't jump to conclusions. She was only able to hear half of the conversation. For all she knew they could be talking about something completely different.

Karin moved even closer. Now she could hear most of what they said.

"He was pretty upset."

"Of course he was! They're having an execution!"

"It's too bad, though."

"What?"

"Well, you know. About him. And _her._ "

"Hn. I think he use way too much of his time thinking about her at it is _._ At least after the execution, he won't."

The one that had come out of the gate looked shocked at the girl next to her. "How can you say that?! Not now before the execution."

"When is this execution anyway?"

"In a month, I think."

The other girl opened her moth to say something more, but Karin didn't hear it. She ran. Away from the Shinigami of the 12th Division. Away from everything.

She couldn't listen to them any longer. She couldn't take it anymore. It had become more and more clear as they talked. Tōshirō was being executed.

Tears trickled down her cheeks. She was almost surprised when she discovered it. Karin never cried. She hadn't shed a single tear ever since her mother died. But this was too much.

Tōshirō was being executed. And is was all her fault. Soul Society had found out about them, and now he had to pay the prise.

Why? Why was this happening?

She ran as fast as her human body was able to. She ran until her legs couldn't carry her anymore, and stumbled, landing on her stomach. Her arms took most of the damage and started bleeding. She didn't care.

Karin sat up, wrapping her bleeding arms around her knees. Tears were flowing from her eyes and made her vision blurry. She wiped them away and discovered that she was sitting by the river that ran through Karakura.

The sun was setting. It reminded her of Tōshirō, which just made her feel even more terrible. The sun had ben setting last time she saw him. The last time she would ever see him.

And it was her fault.

She couldn't stop the stream of tears that came flowing from her eyes. "Tōshirō…" she sobbed.

Tōshirō was going to die. _He was going to die._ She would never be able to see him again. He would be gone. This time for good.

She realised now that when Tōshirō had left her and gone to Soul Society, she had hoped that she would see him again. He had said that that was the last time, but she had had hope. He was a world away, but if she had believed that she would never see him again, she wasn't sure if she would have made it.

Now, every drop of hope that she had had was gone. Karin closed her eyes, burying herself in grief and her own hopelessness.

How could she had let this happen? What was she going to do? She couldn't let this happen.

When she opened her eyes the next time it was dark. The flow of tears had stopped. Grief was replaced with determination. She wouldn't let this happen. There was no way.

* * *

Urahara sat in the one of the rooms behind the shop. At the moment it was Jinta who took care of it.

His shop didn't have a lot of customers. Yuzu-san used to stop by from regularly and buy candy, much to Jinta's delight. A few of the Shinigami in nearby districts also knew about the shop and would pay a visit from time to time, but that was rather rarely.

He used to have local customers, but that was months ago. Except for Karin-san and Hitsugaya-san, his last local customer had been a Shinigami that had been in charge of this district for years. He had been the first victim of this town's strange occurrences.

It usually took some time before he gained a Shinigami's trust. As mentioned, his last local customer had been working here for years. All of those who had been in charge of this district after that had been here too short for him to make contact.

And then the one named Hitsugaya Tōshirō had showed up. The lieutenant of Division 10, nonetheless. Their meeting was more of a coincidence than anything else. Or, not true – Urahara had of course known about their fight and decided to help them instead of letting them die. But it was a coincidence that it had been _Hitsugaya_ -san that showed up.

Urahara knew about everything that happened in his town. He held it under close surveillance. One of the reasons why he had decided to settle down in _this_ specific town had been the level of spiritual activity here. Karakura had always been a centre of spiritual activity, but lately, the level of activity had increased tremendously.

He was not entirely sure of what caused this increase, but he had his suspicions. Things were changing. This was only the beginning.

Yes, Urahara always kept a close eye on everything that happened in this town. He knew that Hitsugaya-san had left three days ago. He knew that Soul Society had sent a team from the 12th Division. And he knew that Karin-san would eventually seek him out.

As she was about to now.

He felt her Reiatsu approach. Karin-san had always been good at controlling her spiritual energy, which was pretty impressive considering her having a great amount of it. She had mastered the ability to sense others' Reiatsu and hide her own, but lately, it had been easy to sense it, even though she tried to hide it.

The only fault in her ability to hide her Reiatsu was how easily it was affected by her emotions. During these past three days, her Reiatsu had been in chaos, much like how she herself had been in an emotional chaos.

Now, however, something had changed. Her Reiatsu was calm compared to how it had been lately. The uncertainty, the sorrow of loosing a close friend, the anger of being left behind and the feeling of not being sure how to feel was gone. Instead it was replaced by determination.

Urahara took a last sip of his tea before he stood up and went outside. His calculation was—as always—perfect, and only seconds after he stepped outside, Karin-san appeared around the corner. He held the door up for her and followed her inside.

"Karin-san. What brings you here so late at night?" he asked with the fan covering most of his face, the hat covering the rest, leaving only his eyes.

"Urahara-san. Do you know how to get to Soul Society?" she asked without bothering to explain the situation.

"Perhaps," he answered cryptically. "Why do you ask?" He had a pretty good idea of why. It _probably_ had something to do with a certain white-haired lieutenant.

"I need a way of getting there. What else?" she answered without giving him further details.

"I see," he said after a while and closed his fan. "Well, then. I would have to say no."

"But you do know how to get there?"

"Yes."

"Then why?!" she asked angry.

He gave her a serious look. "I am sorry, Karin-san, but with your current level of ability, sending you to Soul Society would be the same as just killing you."

Karin-san looked desperately around. She seemed to be fumbling for words. "Then… Then—then train me!"

Urahara looked up, slightly surprised. Well, _that_ was unexpected. "But I am just a candy-store owner," he replied with an innocent smile.

"Oh, please," she said and rolled her eyes. "Both you and I know that that is not true. You sell _Shinigami_ _stuff,_ for god's sake!"

He gave her a mysterious smile. "True."

"So you will train me?" she asked hopefully.

He paused, as if he was thinking about it, before he answered: "Yes." He had intended to train her all along, but it didn't hurt to play around a bit. However, if he was going to train her, it would be on his terms.

"But—" he added before she could start celebrating, "on _one_ condition. I will train you, you will go through with the training, but you will not question my methods. Yes?"

"Sure," she said without as much as blinking. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow morning. Go home to your family, tell them that you will be going on a trip with your friends, or something, and we will start our training at 9am."

"Thank you, Urahara-san," she said. "See you tomorrow at 9am."

He was just able to catch a glimpse of her happy smile. It almost made him feel bad about what he was about to do. Almost.


	20. Under the 6th Division's Barracks

**Chapter 20**

Under the 6th Division's Barracks

* * *

Hitsugaya was speechless. Even now, after he'd had the chance to get a hold of himself. This was just… unbelievable. How could this be happening?

He was unable to look at her. Instead he focused on the grilles between them. It was dark, so he wouldn't have been able to see her clearly either way, but it was better not to look at her at all. It was just too painful.

"Shiro-chan…" the familiar voice said.

"Don't—" he cut her of, his voice shivering. "Don't call me that."

"Please, listen," she begged. He didn't want to hear it. Not after what she had done.

"How could you?" he asked and didn't let her finish. "Why, Hinamori?"

She sniffled. "It's not what you think! Please!" He couldn't see it, but he could hear it in her voice. She was crying, and it broke his heart.

He turned away, unable to face her.

How could she have done it? His sweet, loving and caring childhood friend? She was the last person he would have ever expected to do something like that. He still couldn't believe it.

It was only a few hours ago that he had learned about it. A team from the Onmitsukidō had arrived at the 10th Division barracks only two hours after it had happened. He was the only one who knew besides the captains.

Yamamoto-sōtaichō had wanted him to know. He had said it was because he was her closest friend, but also because they needed his help to find out what really happened.

* * *

 _A group of members from the Onmitsukidō had suddenly appeared in the office and Hitsugaya stood up in surprise._

" _Hitsugaya-fukutaichō," the leader said. "If you could please follow us."_

" _What is this?" Hitsugaya asked irritated. He had just started writing a rather important report, and wasn't very happy with being interrupted._

" _Aizen-taichō it dead," the man started, making Hitsugaya almost stumble in shock, even though he was standing upright without moving._

 _He didn't give Hitsugaya any time to get a hold of himself before he continued. "He was murdered 2 hours ago."_

 _Hitsugaya almost choked. "What?" he managed to say after a while, still having a hard time breathing normally. "Dead? How?"_

" _He was killed by Hinamori Momo."_

 _At this point, his eyes were so wide that it felt like they could pop out any second. "_ Hinamori? _" he whispered with a lump in his throat. This couldn't be. It had to be a mistake. Hinamori would never do something like that, especially not to Aizen-taichō._

" _Yes. She is currently being held in the 6th Division's prison, until the execution."_

" _Execution?" Hitsugaya repeated and almost fainted. Momo was being_ executed _? This_ — _this couldn't be! It couldn't_ _!_

 _No, no, no!_ I have to be dreaming! _There was no way this could be real. This could not be happening._ It is a dream. _He closed his eyes._ I will be waking up every second now.

" _Yes. We were ordered to inform you and bring you to the crime scene," the masked man said._

Why am I not waking up?

" _Fukutaichō?" he said when Hitsugaya didn't respond._

 _He was in shock. He couldn't move._

" _Hitsugaya-fukutaichō?" the man in front of him said a little louder, trying to get his attention. "You must come with us, Sōtaichō's order."_

 _Still staring emptily into the air, Hitsugaya slowly started moving. He followed the Onmitsukidō team to the 5th Division's barracks._

Why is this happening? _he asked himself once again. This shouldn't be happening._

 _When they arrived at the scene, Hitsugaya felt like an empty shell. This was too much for him. First he's being separated from Karin, knowing that he would never see her again. Then his best friend kills her captain and is being executed. It was just too much._

" _Hitsugaya-fukutaichō," the Sōtaichō said when Hitsugaya arrived. "I assume you are aware of the current situation?"_

 _Hitsugaya nodded weakly._

" _Good. At the moment, no one but the captains, the Central 46 and a few selected members of the Onmitsukidō knows about this. The reason why I wanted you here is partly because you are the closest person to Hinamori-fukutaichō and should be the first one to be informed."_

 _The Sōtaichō paused before he continued talking. "But the main reason for you being here is that we need to know about what really happened."_

" _What do you mean?" Hitsugaya asked._

" _As I said, you are the one of the closest_ — _if not_ the _closest_ — _person to her. We need to know; why would she do something like this?"_

" _I_ — _I don't know. The Hinamori I know would never do anything like this. Are you sure it was her?" He still had a small hope of that maybe it wasn't she who had did this, that they had made a mistake._

" _When we found Aizen-taichō, it was with Hinamori's Zanpakutō through his chest and Hinamori herself holding it," Yamamoto-sōtaichō said monotone._

 _Hitsugaya felt himself wince in disappointment._

" _I am sorry, Hitsugaya," the old man said. "I know this is hard, but you have to understand. This is important. We need to know what happened here." Even though his voice was serious, his eyes showed sadness and empathy._

 _Hitsugaya closed his eyes. Then he gave his answer. "What do you want me to do?"_

* * *

And that was how he ended up here, below the 6th Division's barracks, trying to understand why his best friend would kill her captain.

It was Kuchiki-taichō himself who had led him here. The death of Aizen-taichō hadn't been made public yet, and since nobody in the 6th Division beside the captain knew, he'd had to do it.

Yamamoto-sōtaichō had asked him to talk to her. To ask her about what had happened. He wanted Hitsugaya to do it, because he was the one who knew Hinamori the best. But it had turned out to be harder than he'd expected.

He was still in shock. One thing was that one of the captains had _died_ , but by the hands of Hinamori? It was just surreal. And that she was being executed? This person, whom he had known his entire life, would soon be gone. He would never see her again, just like he would never see Karin again.

Why did his life (afterlife) turn out like this? What did he do to deserve this? First he had had to kill the only friend he had had at the Academy, then his captain had left without as much as an explanation, then he had met Karin and lost his powers, befriending Karin in the process, only to loose her again, mere months after meeting her.

" _A_ _t least it can't possibly get any worse"_ he had thought. And yet, here he was, interrogating his best friend who was being executed in a month.

It felt like Fate was laughing him in the face.

"Why, Hinamori?" he asked. "Why did you do it?"

"Hitsugaya-kun, you have to listen to me," Hinamori said desperately. "It isn't like you think!"

"Then _w_ _hat_? How can you possibly explain this to me so I will understand? How can you justify what you did?" he said harsh, knowing that this wasn't the right way to go about it. He was on a mission as a Gotei 13 lieutenant, but it was hard to remain professional. He and Hinamori were too close.

When Hinamori broke down in tears, Hitsugaya asked himself _again_ why he had agreed to this. They shouldn't have made him do this. They should have known that this was a bad idea.

"Bu-but I didn't me-mean to do-do it! It wa-was an a-accident!" Hinamori sobbed.

Tears were flowing down her face, and the sobbing made her unable to continue. He had to restrain himself to hold back his own tears.

It was just so confusing! This was wrong! A captain shouldn't die, just like that, and Hinamori would never do anything like that in the first place. Hinamori worshipped the guy, for god's sake! All she ever wanted was to impress him and make him believe in her.

How could this be? It didn't feel real. Nothing about this whole situation seemed right. It was like having a dream. A _really_ _bad_ dream.

When he opened his mouth again, his voice was calmer. He had to do his best to be professional about the situation. "How can killing your own captain possibly have been an accident?"

Hinamori seemed to a gotten a hold of herself, because she continued talking. "I-I was on my way to spea-speak to Aizen-taichō when a pe-person attacked me. I fou-fought him back and- and- and- I don't know what happened! The man was there, in front o-of me, and I- And then Aizen-taichō was there-there, and my-my Zanpakutō was- was- it was-"

Once again, she broke down in tears, and there was nothing he could do to comfort her. The only thing he could do was watch her.

"Hitsugaya-fukutaichō," a voice said from behind him. It was Kuchiki-taichō. "That's enough."

Hitsugaya sent her one last glance and turquoise eyes met brown ones for the fist time ever since he came. Then he turned his back on her and followed the 6th Division Taichō out of the barracks, leaving a crying Hinamori behind.


	21. Under Urahara Shōten

**Chapter 21**

Under Urahara Shōten

* * *

Karin was outside Urahara Shōten 9am precisely. This time, it was Jinta and Ururu waiting for her.

"Oi, Karin!" Jinta shouted.

"Hello, Karin," said the soft voice belonging to Ururu beside him.

"Ururu," Karin greeted. Then she added with a scowl: "Jinta."

"If you're looking for Urahara, he's inside," the boy said and returned her scowl.

Karin didn't waste anymore time talking to the red-head and went inside where Urahara was waiting for her. Urahara's two children employees followed her.

"Karin-san," the man wearing green greeted. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Karin replied determined.

"Well then, follow me please," Urahara smiled. Karin had to strain herself not too shudder. Urahara had always managed to creep her out with those creepy smiles of his—even before she was turned a Shinigami and discovered who he really was.

Karin followed him to one of the rooms behind the shop. Urahara turned around raised the walking-stick he always carried with him. She just managed to recognize the symbol in the end of it before her soul was pushed out of her body.

"Tessai-san, if you could please take care of Karin-san's body." The giant man nodded and carried her body away.

"A little warning would have been nice!" Karin muttered irritated, now wearing the Shinigami Shihakushō.

He didn't reply. Instead he surprised her with opening a hatch in the floor. "Please, ladies first," the shop-keeper said and held out a hand.

Karin moved closer to the hole and looked hesitantly down. Behind her, Jinta rolled his eyes. "Get going already!" he shouted and pushed her. With a squeal she fell down.

"What the hell, Jinta!" she shouted angrily and got up on her feet. She rubbed her back, still sore after the fall. If she hadn't been in her soul form, she would have been dead by now.

Jinta, along with the shop-keeper and his other two employees appeared behind her. He shrugged. "You used too much time. It's not like you have a lot of that, you know."

Karin was about to throw an insult at him when she remembered. _Jinta is right,_ she thought, _I_ do _not have a lot of time._ In fact, she barely even had a month.

"Now what?" she asked and looked at the shop-keeper.

Urahara had a serious expression. "This training will follow three steps and have two purposes. First of all, you will gain your _real_ Shinigami powers. Secondly, you will learn how to fight."

Karin looked confused at him. "What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense! I already am a Shinigami, and I know how to fight."

Urahara didn't answer. Instead he said: "Draw your Zanpakutō, please." The look in his eyes was more dangerous than she'd ever seen it, and the harmless shop-keeper suddenly didn't seem so harmless anymore.

She drew her katana.

"Attack."

She attacked.

Urahara raised his walking-stick, but the walking-stick was no longer a walking-stick. Her Zanpakutō clashed with his own katana and her eyes widened.

"Tell me, Karin-san, what do you know about Soul Society?" he asked. Her attack seemed to have no affect on him. She gritted her teeth.

"It's the place where humans go when they die, and where the Shinigami come from."

"Yes. Then what about the system? About how the leadership works, and how people are ranked?"

Karin narrowed her eyes. Why did he ask all these questions? Clearly he knew all of this without needing her to tell him. Or was he just testing her, to see if _she_ knew this.

"The Gotei 13 is—as the name suggests—devided into 13 Divisions. Each Division is lead by a captain. Every captain has a second in command—a lieutenant," she enumerated, remembering Tōshirō telling her once.

"Very good," Urahara said while attacking again."Now, what do you think that means?"

Karin looked at him with confusion. He must have seen it, because he continued. "A lieutenant _._ A captain _._ What does that mean to you?"

"Well, Tōshirō is a lieutenant," she answered, not really sure of what he was implying.

Urahara's patient seemed to be endless. "Yes. And what does it mean to be a lieutenant? Why do you think he was given that position?"

What the heck was he talking about? "Uh, I guess it's because he's powerful?"

"Bingo!" Urahara said loud and Karin jumped, almost failing to block his next attack. "Now. How powerful do you think Hitsugaya-fukutaichō is?"

Karin thought about it. She had sparred with him several times when he was training her. They were almost equal in power, but she knew he had been holding back. "Er, very?" she replied, dodging another attack.

"That is correct. I know you and Hitsugaya-san have been training. Could you guess how much of his power he used while fighting you?"

Karin was beginning to breath heavily. She was also getting angry. Urahara was just playing with her. She was loosing, and Urahara didn't even break a sweat. "I don't know! Just get to the point already!"

Their katana met and they stood still, both trying to push the other one back. Urahara looked serious at her. "Only a fraction."

"What?" Karin said, not understanding exactly what he was talking about.

"When Hitsugaya-san fought you, he used only half of his powers. What more is: when captains and lieutenants are sent to the World of the Living, they are placed under a limiter which reduces their powers to 20 percent.

"Do you understand what that means?"

Karin just stared at him.

"10 percent," he finished and pushed her away. She fell to the ground and her Zanpakutō fell out of her hand.

"And he was just a lieutenant. How do you expect to defeat 13 of those? And let's not start to talk about the 13 _captains."_

"Well, what do you expect me to do!" Karin shouted and got up on her feet. "Leave him there and let him get executed?"

She pointed her Zanpakutō at him. "I will defeat as many lieutenants and captains as I have to!" Then she attacked again.

The hint of a smile that had been playing in the corner of his mouth was gone. "And that is the kind of arrogance that will get you killed," he said.

 _That's_ _it_. He was standing there, _mocking_ her! Furiously, she attacked again, putting every drop of her remaining strength in the attack. With a war cry she swung her Zanpakutō.

A moment late, Urahara was behind her. Her Zanpakutō was cut in half. She stared emptily out into the air when a wave of pain flowed through her body. As in slow-motion, she fell down to the ground, loosing consciousness.

* * *

When Karin woke up again, she felt this strange tickling in her whole body. She opened her eyes and discovered that Tessai was sitting next to her. His hands was glowing green.

"Ah, Karin-san, you're awake," the familiar voice of the shop-keeper said. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible, thanks to you," Karin said in a hoarse voice and scowled. She sat up and cleared her throat.

Tessai lowered his hands and the glow disappeared.

"Tessai-san, are all of the wounds healed?" he asked, and turned towards his employee.

"Yes, Urahara-dono," he replied. Karin dragged her hand over the places where she had been wounded, and discovered that Tessai had spoken the truth. All of the wounds were completely gone, even the last one that had made her loose consciousness.

"Excellent!" Urahara exclaimed and shut his fan. "Rest for a while, Karin-san, and then we will continue shortly."

Karin was about to get up, but changed her mind when she realised what condition her body really was in. She was exhausted.

 _Maybe I'll just rest for a little while,_ she thought and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Urahara-dono, are you sure this is alright?" Tessai-san asked. They had left the room Karin-san was resting in. She had fallen asleep again.

Urahara looked up at him with a serious expression. "It is necessary."

Tessai-san didn't say anything more. Urahara took another sip of his tea.

He knew what he was doing was not _ethically_ right, but he had to do it. Even if it could cost her her life. _But let us hope it does not come to that_.

He believed in her. If he had not believed that she would be able to survive his 'training', he would not be doing this. In fact, if he had not been this sure, he would probably not have agreed to send her to Soul Society at all.

Urahara was an intelligent man. Some would even go as far as calling him a genius. Which he probably was.

He knew a lot of things. More than most people. In fact, he was one of the few people that knew the whole truth.

There was, of course, a lot of things he did not know. Like what would happen in the future. No one could know exactly what would happen in the future. He was, however, in most cases very good at predicting what would happen.

Sometimes, it would stay as just a prediction. Other times, he was so sure that he would say "I know". As he did now.

It was time. He had known this when a failed experiment had appeared in Karakura 7 months ago. Because that was what it was; a failed experiment. Someone was experimenting on hollows in Hoeco Mundo, and when whoever did these experiments failed, they let them loose in the World of the Living.

Things was staring to happen in Soul Society as well. Even though his time as a Shinigami of the Gotei 13 was over, he still kept a close eye on them. He knew about the execution. And not Hitsugaya-san's.

Why he didn't tell Karin-san? Simple. Then she would not go to Soul Society. Why did he need her to go to Soul Society? To stop the execution. And why did he need her to stop the execution? Well, let's just say that it is important that the execution is stopped.

This was also the reason behind him training her. It was true what he had said. Sending her to Soul Society with her current level of abilities would be the same as just killing her.

A lot op people would say that Urahara was a liar. Urahara did not see himself as such. He simply chose which people to tell what—and who should remain in the dark—with caution, so that things would turn out the way he wanted them to.

Yes, Urahara knew a lot of things. He had been around for a long time. Even longer than most of the Gotei 13 captains. He had been there when a lot of important things had happened. And was probably going to be there when other important things would happen, too.


	22. Chain of Faith—Broken!

**Chapter 22**

Chain of Faith—Broken!

* * *

Hitsugaya was walking restless around in the office. As he had done for the past three days.

After he had spoken to Hinamori, he had reported their conversation to Yamamoto-sōtaichō. Then he had been dismissed.

He had not been asked to go there again.

It was so strange. When he thought about what she had said, he realised that it didn't make any sense. Why would she kill her captain? The captain she respected and looked up to. What was her motives? She didn't gain anything on killing him.

As he had told the Sōtaichō, the Hinamori he knew would never have done anything like that. Had she been lying to him all along? Hiding her true self?

Why would she do that? What would she gain on killing her captain? And why did she act like it was an accident? Was it just so that she would get an easier punishment, or could it be that she really was telling the truth? If that was he case, how would a captain let himself be killed _in an accident?_

So many questions, but no answers.

A part of him desperately wanted it to be true; that they had made a mistake and that it really _had_ been an accident. Maybe they could find the one who had fought Hinamori, so _they_ would be executed instead.

But no. Even if it _did_ turn out to be an accident, it wouldn't have changed anything. She would still be executed. She had killed a captain, on purpose or not, and would have to take the consequences. That was how the Gotei 13 worked, and that was how the Central 46 worked.

There was a part of his mind that played with the idea of saving her. He could brake her out of there, and they could have fled from Soul Society. Then she would have been safe.

Either way, it was just a fantasy that only existed in the back of his mind. Hitsugaya wasn't the kind of person who would do something like that. He took his job as a Gotei 13 lieutenant very seriously, and going against the law just wasn't in his nature.

And even if he _had_ done it, it wouldn't have been much of a life for either of them. On the run from Soul Society for the rest of eternity? It wasn't a very appealing thought.

His lips curled up in a bitter smile. Oh, the irony. He had been going against the law for the past two months, and now it was _Hinamori_ that was being executed?

Matsumoto must have seen it, for she gave him a worried glance. "Hey, Hitsugaya, are you alright?"

Hitsugaya stopped and sighed. "Not really."

This just made her look even more puzzled. She opened her mouth, but closed it again, being unable to find the right words. "Eh, do—do you wanna talk about it?" she asked hesitantly after a while.

"Not really," he said again.

Matsumoto blinked. "If you say so."

Hitsugaya sighed again. "Do you mind if I go out for a while? I can finish the paperwork later. Just lay it on my desk where I can find it," he said tired.

"Sure! And don't worry about the paperwork! I'll do my share of it!" Matsumoto said, suddenly acting unusually energetic. She got up and pushed him out the of the office. "Have some fun, will ya? And don't come back any time soon!"

She shut the door behind him.

 _What was that all about?_ he wondered. Was—was she worried that he didn't get out enough? Had he been staying that long in the office?

Maybe he had. After he got back from the Human World, he had been doing paperwork all day long, almost three days in a row. And after the news about the execution, he had been walking restless around in the office almost three days in a row.

 _No wonder Matsumoto-taichō wanted me to get out,_ he thought after realising that.

He sighed again.

He had probably been walking around in Seireitei for hours when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see who it was who stopped him.

"Ukitake-taishō!" he exclaimed when the person turned out to be none other than Ukitake Jūshirō.

"Shiro-chan," the 13th Division captain said, as the only other person in Seireitei that still called him by that stupid nickname. "Are you alright?"

Hitsugaya let out yet another sigh, not bothering to correct him. "Why is it that everyone is asking me that? Is it that obvious?"

"Well, this _is_ the third time you've walked by the 13th Division's barracks," Ukitake said with worry in his voice.

Hitsugaya looked up, slightly surprised. "Really? I didn't realise."

The white-haired captain gave him a warm smile. "Won't you come in, and we'll have a cup of tea. I think I have some candy as well!"

"S-sure," he said, unable to refuse.

Hitsugaya followed Ukitake inside and they sat down in his office. Ukitake-taishō did for some reason act different towards Hitsugaya than he did everybody else. This had puzzled him for a long time, but he just couldn't figure out why.

He remember asking Matsumoto about it once.

" _Well,"_ she had answered. _"You both have 'shirō' in your names."_ Hitsugaya had looked at her in disbelief.

" _Really? You think_ that' _s the reason? Our names end with the same reading?"_

Matsumoto seemed to think about it. The she had jumped up triumphantly. _"I know! You both have white hair!"_

Hitsugaya had just sighed and avoided further conversation.

"How are you doing these days?" his fellow 'Shirō' asked.

"Not very good, to be honest," he answered truthfully.

Ukitake looked understanding at him. "Is it about Hinamori-fukutaichō?" he asked quietly.

Hitsugaya nodded. "It just… bothers me—and not only because my best friend is being executed," he said bitterly. "This whole situation—there is something odd about it."

He wasn't entirely sure of why he opened up to this man. He had of course known who he was for a long time, but he had never really _known_ him. In fact, it wasn't until he became a lieutenant he had actually _talked_ to him. And the _'conversations'_ they used to have usually wasn't more than a _'here, have some candy!'_.

So why he suddenly was having a heart-to-heart conversation with the captain of the 13th Division, he didn't know.

"What do you mean?" Ukitake asked.

"Well, I'm sure you are aware of that I was the one that… interrogated her after the incident. And when she explained to me what had happened, she made it sound like it was an accident. She told me about a man that attacked her and how Aizen-taichō suddenly had appeared, and then… well. You know the rest.

"And it bothers me, because it doesn't make any sense. Why would she do something like that? If it was planned, why come up with such a story when she know that she will be- executed, not matter what she says. And if she is telling the truth, how could a mere _accident_ have killed a _captain_?"

He finished and looked up at Ukitake-taishō. "I am sorry. I should not have bothered you with my worries," he apologised when realising how much he had talked.

"Down worry, I don't mind," Ukitake said. "And I can understand why this bothers you. You are right; this _is_ strange."

For a while, none of them said anything. It was Hitsugaya who in the end broke the silence.

"Thank you, Ukitake-taishō, for listening. It felt good to let at least _somebody_ know. I won't steal any more of your time," he said and got up.

The white-haired captain smiled. "My pleasure. And please, have some candy!" he said and Hitsugaya suddenly found himself with his arms full of sweets.

"Eh, thanks. See you, I guess."

Ukitake smiled and waved his hand in goodbye.

* * *

Karin stared in disbelief down at her body.

"Why am I not in my Shihakushō? And _why_ is there a chain connection me to my body?" she asked slightly hysterical. She woke up not long ago, and she and Urahara had gone to the training ground to resume her training.

However, when he had pushed her soul out of her body, it didn't take long before she realised that something was terribly wrong.

"Well, you see," Urahara started with a wide smile, as if everything was perfectly fine. "The purpose of yesterday's training was taking away you Shinigami powers."

" _What?"_ Karin said shocked. "I thought you were going to help me!"

Urahara opened the fan and covered his face. Only those creepy eyes of his were left. "Which brings us to Step 2; regaining your Shinigami powers. Or, more correctly, finding your _true_ Shinigami powers."

"What do you mean?" Karin asked confused.

"Until now, the power you have possessed have not been your own. It has merely been the power you received from Hitsugaya-san," he explained. "Just see how easily it was taken from you. What do you think would have happened to you if you had gone to Soul Society like that?"

Karin scowled. "So, what do I do to get them back?"

"Easy," the shop-keeper said and shut the fan. Karin didn't like the look n his eyes.

Urahara drew his Zanpakutō and approached the chain. She really did not like the direction the situation was headed. "…you become a spirit," he finished and placed his Zanpakutō over the chain. In the blink of an eyed, the chain was no longer connecting her to her body.

"What the hell!" Karin shouted as the chain broke. "Did you just—you—you bastard—did you just _kill_ me?!"

Urahara smiled. "That depends on you. If you do not regain your Shinigami powers… then I would have killed you. But if you _do,_ there is nothing that stops you from returning to you body."

Karin sent him a deadly look. _"If?"_

"Relax, you will be fine!" Urahara said and made a movement with his fan that she had seen way to many times not to recognize it.

She was doomed.

Karin sighed before giving the hat-wearing man a scowl. "So how do I do it then? Regaining my powers?" she asked.

Urahara smirked and shut the fan. "Don't die."


	23. I am

**Chapter 23**

I am…

* * *

 _Why did I agree to this?_ Karin thought as she stared up. Light shined down at her from the circular opening in the ground that revealed the "sky" above the training ground.

After breaking her Chain of Faith, Urahara and his employees had tossed her down in this ridiculously deep hole. _"If you can climb up these walls within three days, we'll go over to the next step of the training,"_ he'd said.Easy for him to say, who wasn't tied up!

Before throwing her down, Tessai had used some kind of spell on her which made her unable to move her upper body. Karin didn't remember what he had called the spell, but clearly, it must have been a very powerful one.

And that wasn't even the worst part. Just before he was about to leave he had added: _"And, one more thing. If you do not succeed in regaining your Shinigami powers, you become a Hollow, and we will have to kill you!"_ As if it was a trivial matter. He could just as well have been telling her what he was going to have to dinner. _'And one more thing. If you're not home by 10pm, you'll have to do the dishes!'_

Stupid shop-keeper.

It was hard to say how much time that had passed. The sky in the training ground didn't change. It was always daylight. For all she knew, her time may soon be up.

As if on cue, Jinta appeared in the opening. "Oi."

"Jinta! What day is it?" she shouted up at him.

The boy just snorted. "If I told you, wouldn't that be cheating?"

"Come on, don't be like that!"

Jinta just smirked at her and didn't reply.

Karin sighed. "Oh, well. It can't have been too long. It's still quite a bit chain left." The chain had slowly become shorter, but it was still almost two meters left. She porbably had more that a day left.

"You now, the chain will start dissolving faster as the limit draws nearer," Jinta said and looked at her.

Karin looked at the chain. If her arms had been loose, she would have picked it up to study it. She looked up again and said: "Still. It's two meters long. I have time."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Jinta said. He pointed at something at the ground next to her and Karin looked down. Her eyes widened in horror. The chain was dissolving—fast. The ends of the chain was eating its way up, closer and closer to her chest.

 _Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god!_ What was she going to do?! Had it really been three days already? _What was she going to_ do _!_

She looked around her, filled with horror. She had no idea of what she was supposed to do. _"Don't die,"_ she could hear the voice of the shop-keeper. What kind of shitty advise was that anyway? It didn't help her at all!

The chain was almost gone now. She looked up one last time before everything went black.

* * *

Jinta stood up.

"Has it started?" the man in green asked.

As an answer, a scream (or was it a howl?) replaced the long-lasting silence.

* * *

Matsumoto was seriously considering taking him to the 4th Division. Hitsugaya was clearly not himself.

First, after getting back from the World of the Living, he had been distant, expression no emotion. Then, after receiving the news of Hinamori's execution, he had been an emotional chaos.

This was the first time she had seen him displaying so much emotion. Really. Normally, when he showed emotions, it was usually anger, annoyance or even embarrassment, but most of the time, he appeared indifferent, not showing any emotion at all.

So this behaviour worried her. After the latest Captains' Meeting, Ukitake-taishō had told her how Hitsugaya had opened up to him when explaining how he felt. _How he felt._ Hitsugaya didn't do that. He never—ever—had "heart-to-heart" discussions.

So Matsumoto's only explanation on this unusual behaviour had been: _There_ _is_ _something wrong with him._ There had to be. Why else would he act like this? It was as un-Hitsugaya-like as you could get it.

Her white-haired lieutenant let out yet another sigh as he filled out another paper. He had been sighing an awfully lot lately. Which only made her more worried.

 _If this behaviour do not stop within the, I'm taking him to the 4th,_ she thought.

* * *

When Karin opened her eyes, she couldn't see the small circle of light she had gotten so used to. Instead, she saw the sky.

She sat up and looked around. She was no longer in the dark hole she once had been in. In fact, she had no clue where she was. The landscape was unlike anything she'd ever seen. If you could call it a landscape that it.

She was standing on something that could look like water, but it was so clear that it could just as well have been glass. And it was solid.

The other strange thing was all the clouds. She was surrounded by clouds, and not the fog-looking ones. It was the kind of fluffy clouds that looked like cotton. It made her think about the time her father, she and her siblings had been on vacation, and they had taken a plane and flown over the clouds.

All in all, it looked like she was in the middle of the sky.

It was sunset, and the sky was coloured in all different kinds of colours. Orange, pink, purple. The colours were reflected in both the clouds and the blank surface she was standing on. All she was able to do was stare. It was so beautiful.

"Karin," a deep voice called out, and she looked up. Some distance away stood a person. The back cloak made him stand out in all the light.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Karin asked the man as he approached. He stopped when he was stading right in front of her. She studied him. The man turned out to be a boy, not much older than herself. He had long curly, black hair and purple eyes.

"Don't you know who I am?" the boy asked and his eyes met hers.

"Why? Have we met before?" she asked. With the exception of their voices, it was completely quiet.

"I've been with you for a long time. My name is…" His voice faded away.

"What?" Karin asked, not able to hear what he said.

The boy closed his eyes. "So you are still no able to hear my name."

"I don't understand. What is all this?! Are you a friend of that crazy shop-keeper?" This was becoming more and more annoying.

He didn't get the opportunity to answer, because all of the sudden the ground started shaking. _Earthquake?_

"What is going on?" she asked the boy, struggling to remain on her feet. But the boy was gone.

The world was turning upside down. Literally. Gravity still held her on the ground, but everything else was turning. It was as if her head believed she was standing upside down, and her eyes and body reacted according to that.

She didn't get the chance to think about it twice, because a moments later, the gravity seemed to have changed its mind. Her feet's grip on the ground ceased and she fell down. Or up?

She fell and fell. There seemed to be no end to it. She fell down (up?) into the sky. Suddenly, the ground appeared again. In was under (over?) her and she was headed right towards it.

Suddenly, the boy was there again.

"Use you powers. You can stop."

"Well, if you haven't noticed, _I don't have any powers_ at the moment!" Karin shouted. Her voice almost disappeared in the sound of the wind howling around her.

Somehow, the boy's voice was still clear. "Then find your powers. You didn't loose you Shinigami powers. It was only the powers you got from Tōshirō that disappeared."

"I don't understand!"

"You must find _your_ Shinigami powers. The power that has always been within you."

Karin had to strain herself not to let out a sneer. Instead, she closed her eyes and concentrated. She wished for it all to stop.

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the cloud world. She was floating in a world of darkness, surrounded by katana. They were all over the place.

The boy's voice echoed in her mind. _"You must find_ your _Shinigami powers"._

One of these katana was her Zanpakutō. She looked around, but all of them looked the exact same. How in the world was she going to find the one that was hers?

Again, the boy decided to show up. "You know which one it is," he said.

"No, I don't. They all look the same!"

"You _know._ "

Why did he have to be so _cryptic_? Again she closed her eyes. All of them _looked_ the same, but according to that stupid over there, she _knew._

 _She knew._ With her eyes still closed, she grabbed a katana. The familiar feeling of the Zanpakutō in her hand spread through her body.

She opened her eyes and the other katana were gone.

"Very good. Maybe you will be able to hear my name this time. I am…" His voice disappeared again, even though his lips were still moving.

"What?" Karin said. If he could just talk a little louder, this wouldn't have been a problem!

The boy looked slightly disappointed. "Maybe next time you will hear me," he said as he faded away. "See you some other time, Karin."

The boy disappeared and the world started moving again. The Cloud World was back and she was yet again falling towards the ground. She let herself fall, still with a firm grip around her Zanpakutō.

The ground approached, and she held out her katana. When she hit the ground, she drove the blade through it in one powerful thrust. The ground of glass cracked and shattered into a thousand pieces.

The Cloud World disappeared, and Karin felt as if her body was in water, floating up toward the surface.

* * *

It was quiet in Urahara's secret training grounds.

Everything had stopped.

Urahara, Tessai, Jinta and Ururu stood still, waiting.

Until recently, the howls of a Hollow had filled the air.

There were no such sounds anymore.

In front of them appeared a figure wearing a Shihakushō and a Hollow's mask.

The figure grabbed the mask and ripped it of, revealing its face.

"Yo," said Karin.

* * *

A/N: This has been one of the hardest chapters to write so far. It is similar to the canon in some ways (Urahara is still Urahara, and would probably use the same training methods regardless of who it is), and different in others. Figuring out how to design Karin's Inner World was the hardest part, though. Hope it met your expectations. Let me know what you think!


	24. Step 3

**Chapter 24**

Step 3

* * *

Karin was exhausted. She knew that she wouldn't last much longer.

Urahara was pushing her harder than he had done during the first time they fought. It felt like he really was trying to kill her. In fact, if the fight continued like this, she was sure she _would_ die.

Karin barely blocked his next attack. Her body wouldn't cooperate and her senses was getting weaker. Black dots were blocking her vision, making it impossible to see clearly.

The amount of spiritual energy she had left was close to zero. She had gotten a few major injuries, as well as a whole bunch of minor ones. She knew that the next blow he landed on her would be the last.

She didn't know what to do. She was just blocking and blocking, doing her best to stay alive. Urahara had told her what she was supposed to do, but she didn't really know _how_ to do it. If the progress continued at this rate, she wouldn't get to Soul Society until _after_ the execution. And then it would be too late.

Urahara was on the offensive. Karin was forced to do defensive. He was the one attacking, she was the one blocking the attack. They had been going on like this for hours, and she hadn't been able to land a single blow on him.

This was ridiculous. How in the world was beating the crap out of her going to help her?

 _Damn it all!_ It was almost as he wanted her to loose. And at this rate, she would.

* * *

" _And now, Step 3," Urahara said and drew his Zanpakutō._

 _Karin automatically drew her own._

" _This part will have no time limit, and one purpose," he said serious. "Gaining your Shikai."_

 _Karin narrowed her eyes in confuse. "Shikai?"_

" _A Zanpakutō is more than just a katana. A Zanpakutō is the reflection of its master's soul, and every single one is unique, with its own name."_

" _Name?" Karin cut him of._

" _Yes. Its name," he said before continuing his explanation. "The relationship between a Shinigami and a Zanpakutō is not just that of a master and its sword. It is a partnership. As the Shinigami and the Zanpakutō bond, both of them become more powerful. The more they trust each other, the easier will it be to work together."_

 _Karin wasn't fully able to understand what he was talking about. "You talk like the Zanpakutō are people. Like they have feelings," she said questioningly._

" _Who said they don't?" he answered cryptically and continued._

" _A Zanpakutō has two releases. Shikai and Bankai. Most Shinigami will at some point gain Shikai, which is the first release. By gaining Shikai, one unlocks a Zanpakutō's true abilities," he explained._

 _Karin looked down on her Zanpakutō. "Abilities?"_

 _Urahara didn't answer. Instead he said: "Okiro, Benihime."_

 _Karin's eyes widened. There seemed to be no change to the blade, but the hilt had. The handle of his walking stick had changed into a beautifully decorated hilt. The biggest change, though, was the change in his Reiatsu. His spiritual pressure had increased dramatically._

 _So this was Shikai._

 _"Teach me_ _," said Karin._

 _"Oh, no. Every Shinigami has to learn to know their own Zanpakutō," Urahara said with a smirk, his hat shading his eyes._

 _"Then why are you drawing your Zanpakutō?"_

 _"As you seem to be the kind of person who learns best through practical exercises, I will be your sparring partner." Without saying anything more, he attacked._

* * *

Yeah. And that was how she had ended up in this situation.

Karin was really starting to doubt the shop-keeper's ability as a trainer. His methods were… unorthodox.

How in the world was this going to help her gain Shikai? He was just beating her up! This didn't help her at all. She didn't even understand half of his "explanation".

She had always doubted the sanity of the man in front of her. What sane person would toss someone down into a ridiculously deep hole and call it "training"?

And the worst part was that it had actually worked. She did have her powers back after all.

A part of her was waiting for something to happen. The other part of her was really starting to doubt the efficiency of this method. This didn't seem to have any effect at all.

Urahara pushed her backwards with his Zanpakutō and she landed on her back. _This is it,_ she thought. She was a goner.

He was about to deliver the finishing blow when something actually _did_ happen.

Everything seemed to slow down, including herself. She watched her opponent's Zanpakutō approach her in slow motion, but she was unable to do anything about it.

"Karin," a voice called out from nowhere. "What are you doing?" it asked. She recognized it at once. It was the boy.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

The training ground disappeared in front of her eyes. Instead she found herself standing in the middle of the Cloud World. "Are you really going to get your ass kicked, just like that?" the boy in black asked, slightly scornfully.

Karin scowled. "There is not much I can do. He's too powerful."

"Yes, there is," he insisted. "You have to stop holding back. Fight with everything you got."

"But I am! How can I do anything more when I'm already doing my best?" she asked. "Why are you doing this? Why do you keep showing up? Who are you?"

"You know who I am. I've always been with you. You have just never noticed me."

"I don't understand!"

"Yes, _you do!_ You know who I am! Say it! _Say my name!_ " the boy almost shouted.

Karin's eyes widened, but the boy was gone, and so was the Cloud World. In front of her was Urahara, ready with his next attack.

Karin got up on her feet again. She held out her Zanpakutō, sure of herself. With her last remaining strength she shouted:

" _Shigetsu!_ "

It was like an explosion. Purple light filled the training ground and made it crumbled. Her spiritual pressure was so immense that it even made the nearest rocks shatter into pieces. Urahara had to grab his hat so it wouldn't get blown away.

" _Yare, yare,_ " he said when her Reiatsu calmed down and the wind it had created disappeared. The hat shaded his eyes and he had pulled out his fan. "That is quite an amount of Reiatsu you've got there."

* * *

Hitsugaya gaped.

" _What?"_ he said after regaining the ability to speak.

Matsumoto looked serious at him. "The execution has been removed. It will take place in two weeks from now."

"Why?"

"We don't know. It was decided by the Central 46," she answered.

She paused and Hitsugaya stared at her.

She continued. "It's also been decided that the execution will take place on the Sōkyoku Hill. Hinamori is being removed to Senzaikyū."

Hitsugaya didn't say anything. He seemed to be speechless. Matsumoto could see why.

When _she_ first received the news, she had been shocked as well. The Sōkyoku hadn't been used in aged. Not during her time as a Shinigami at least, and she had been around for a long time.

It shouldn't have surprised her though. Hinamori had committed one of the most serious crimes you could commit. She had committed a murder. She'd killed a captain. It shouldn't surprise her that they were using the Sōkyoku.

But still. The _Sōkyoku?_ There weren't that much criminality in Soul Society. At least not major crimes, that is. Every hundred year or so, something big would happen that caused lot uproar. But it was a long time since they had used the Sōkyoku. One could say it was out-of-date. Soul Society must have realised that executing someone by slicing them in half was a bit barbaric. So they'd stopped using it. Even serious crimes used other methods than the Sōkyoku.

"I'm sorry, Hitsugaya. I know this must be hard on you," Matsumoto said and laid a hand on his shoulder. He let her, which surprised her. Physical contact wasn't something Hitsugaya was very found of.

He was looking down, so she was unable to see his expression. She let her hand fall.

When he finally looked up, his eyes were dead. "Thank you, Taichō, for informing me. I appreciate it," he said with a just as dead voice.

It was like when he first got back from the World of the Living. Again, he put a barrier between himself and the rest of the world. She hoped it wouldn't last.

Hitsugaya hadn't been himself ever since he got back. He had been distant, but also open. He wasn't any of those things.

His dead eyes scared her just as much now as they had did last time she saw them. She caught herself hoping that he would turn back to the way he was before telling him all of this. To much feelings were better than no feelings at all.

Hitsugaya turned around and left the office. The only thing Matsumoto could do was watch.

* * *

A/N: _Karin's Zanpakutō_

I do know the tiniest bit of Japanese and the basics of the Japanese writing system (kana and kanji), but I am nowhere near a pro. So correct me if I'm wrong:

Karin's Zanpakutō's name is Shigetsu. It uses the kanji 紫 and 月which mean 'purple' and 'moon', so the translation would be something like 'purple moon'. The reading of these kanji using on'reading is 'shi' and 'getsu', thereas the name.

Since Ichigo inheritated his fathers Zanpakutō (more or less), I figured Karin would do the same if she was the firstborn. Isshin's Zanpakutō was 'Engetsu', Ichigo's was 'Zangetsu', and in this stroy Karin's is 'Shigetsu'.

Sounds logically? Or am I way over my head?


	25. Arriving in Soul Society

**Chapter 25**

Arriving in Soul Society

* * *

She was ready. _This is it._ She was finally going to Soul Society.

It was two weeks until the execution. Karin had wanted to go there right after gaining Shikai, but Urahara had told her otherwise. He had insisted that she stayed a little longer to learn how to control the new form her blade had taken.

Karin had to admit, she was grateful she hadn't rushed of to Soul Society right away. When she and Urahara had sparred, she had had a hard time wielding Shigetsu.

 _Shigetsu._ How could she have been so stupid? She should have known right away who the boy in the Cloud World was. She felt bad for not recognising him, and not realising who he was. It was so obvious.

But most of all, she was grateful. Shigetsu had been there all this time, protecting her, and she never knew.

Urahara opened the gate and it started glowing. Karin looked at it with determination.

"Karin-san, before you go there is something you need to know," he said and stopped in front of her. "This gate is not connected to a specific place in Soul Society, so there is no telling where you will end up. Soul society is a big place, and Seireitei is only a small part of it. You can get lucky and end up in Seireitei, but most likely, you will end up in one of the 320 districts of Rukongai."

"Okay. Got it," Karin said and nodded.

"Oh, and one more thing. Take Yoruichi-san with you," he said and held up a black cat.

Karin was a little surprised. "The cat?" she asked, recognizing it from the shop. She had seen it before, but never taken further notice of it. "Why do you want me to bring a cat-" "Yoruichi-san," he cut her of.

"Fine, Yoruichi, then," she said and rolled her eyes. Why was he referring to the cat with an honorific anyway? She knew that Urahara was very formal—always using the formal way of speaking and formal honorific—but on a cat?

"Why do you want me to bring Yoruichi to Soul Society?" she asked again.

"She will help you. She knows her way around there," he said seriously and pushed the cat into her arms. Then he said: "All set, then. Good luck, Karin-san."

Karin gave him a nod. "Thanks. For everything."

Then she turned toward the gate and jumped.

She had to say, Soul Society was unlike anything she could have ever imagined. It looked like a purple cave and it was so dark that she could barely see.

This couldn't be Soul Society. Urahara had to have sent her to the wrong place.

"Where the heck am I?" she said out loud, even though it was nobody there besides the cat.

Thus she was very surprised when someone actually answered.

"We're in Dangai, the world between the World of the Living and Soul Society," a deep voice said. Karin looked around and tried to locate where it was coming from.

"Down here," it said and she looked down only to see the black cat. "Yes, it's me," it said.

"The cat?" Karin said, not really realising what was going on.

"Name's Yoruichi."

Karin stared at it for a while. "Oh, great. A talking cat. What else do you got for me, Urahara!" she shouted.

Yoruichi—and she was surprised that a cat was even able to make such an expression—rolled her eyes. "Come on. We have to go. If we stay any longer, we might not get out of here."

Yoruichi started running and Karin followed. _Taking orders from a cat. How much weirder can this get?_

After a while, Karin could see light. "Is that the gate?" she asked.

"Yes," Yoruichi answered. "Let's go."

They jumped and a new world appeared.

This seemed to be more likely to be the correct place. The first thing she noticed was the light; this was definitely daylight. That was also the only thing she noticed about this world while still being able to.

Karin wasn't sure if she would consider herself lucky or unlucky. The good thing was that the gate in fact _had_ opened inside of Seireitei, which would spare them for _a lot of_ trouble. However, the gate had opened _30 metres above the ground._

Yeah. It was hard to think of yourself as lucky when you were headed straight toward the ground in 40 km/h.

Fortunately for her, she was pretty good at controlling her spiritual energy, so she was able to slow down before crashing into a building.

"Damn," Karin mumbled and rubbed her head. Everything was spinning. She closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the dizziness.

When she opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see a face. It was a girl which was wearing the same Shihakushō as she did. Purple eyes met hers.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked with a deep voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Karin replied and got up. The girl was around her height, but she was probably older than Karin, both physically and in actual years. In fact, the 'girl' probably was a woman. She just was a little short.

"What happened?" she asked.

Karin tried to remain calm. _Quickly, find a good excuse!_ she thought. "Er, I was… training. And I lost control, and… well. You know, landed here." _Okay. Not a very good one, but hopefully, she'll buy it._ "I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's okay," she said and smiled. "I am Kuchiki Rukia of the 13th Division."

"Kurosaki Karin." She hesitated before adding: "Of the 10th Division." Perhaps if she said she belonged to a Division, it would be easier to blend in.

Then she remembered something. "Hey, have you seen a black cat around her, by any chance?"

Rukia got a confused expression. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Well, I kind of lost one. Yoruichi."

"I'm sorry but. I haven't seen it."

"It's okay. I'm sure I'll find it." Karin smiled. "Well, then. I should be on my way. See you!"

"It was nice meeting you, Kurosaki!"

"Please, call me Karin," she said.

The purple-eyed girl smiled. "Then call me Rukia."

Karin gave her one last smile back before disappearing out the door.

She started walking though Seireitei. Everything here was so different form was she was used to. She felt more like being sent back in time than to another world. She almost forgot what she was doing here.

She stopped abruptly. She could have hit herself. How could she have been so stupid! She should have asked Rukia about the execution!

She sighed and continued walking. Well, too late for that now. Maybe she could ask the next Shinigami she came across.

Luckily, she spotted one around the next corner. "Hey you!" she shouted and ran towards him.

He looked surprised up. "M-me?" he stuttered. It was a boy around her hight. He had chin-length black hair and light blue eyes. He did of course wear the standard Shihakushō as well as some kind of white bag on his back.

"Yeah," Karin said when she reached him. "Do you know about the execution?"

"Th-the execution? Well, I guess. Everybody knows about it."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"S-sure," he said nervous. "I don't know all the details, but I know the basics. The lieutenant of the 5th Division killed the captain of the same Division. The execution was supposed to be held in two weeks, but they removed the date, so its being held next week instead. In 9 day, I think. They also removed the place of the execution. Its now being held on the Sōkyoku Hill."

Karin stared. 9 days. She had had a lot less time than she had originally thought.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"What?" Karin said and looked up into two worried blue eyed. "Oh, yeah. I just got lost in my own thoughts."

She paused before she said: "Hi, by the way, I'm Kurosaki Karin."

"Yamada Hanatarō," the blue-eyed Shinigami replied and gave her a nervous smile. He generally seemed like a very nervous person.

Karin was about to leave when she remembered. "Where is the Sōkyoku Hill?"

Hanatarō seemed surprised. He lifted his hand and pointed at a large cliff in the middle of Seireitei. "There is it." Then he added hesitantly: "Are you new here?"

Karin nodded. "Yeah. It was nice meeting you though. Thanks for all of your help!" she said before she started running toward the Hill.

As she got further and further away for the place she had started, the feeling of something being wrong grew inside of her. She had a strange feeling of forgetting something.

* * *

A/N: I'm not sure how he speak in the English dub, but in the Japanese, Urahara is very formal, even among friends. He always uses the formal way of speaking and calls everybody with the formal honorific _~san_.

Funfact: Ichigo on the other hand _never_ uses the formal way of speech. He _do_ use ~san on a few people (including Urahara and Yoruichi), but I've never heard him be more formal than that. Which seem to bother a few of the captains, especially Byakuya and Tōshirō xD

* * *

OMAKE

* * *

Hitsugaya was sanding in front of the main entrance to the 4th Divsion. Still no sign of her. It didn't surprise him though. She was always late.

His captain had asked him to meet him here 2pm. She didn't tell him anything about what they were going to do here.

The most likely was that she had gotten an assignment and wanted him to help. Though it wouldn't surprise him if she made him do the entire assignment for her. She was an expert in avoiding work.

"Hi!~" Matsumoto shouted.

"Taichō! Where have you been? We was supposed to meet half an hour ago!" he said angry.

"Half an hour ago? Really?" she said surprised. "Didn't I say 2:30?"

"No, you did not," Hitsugaya said calm, trying to restrain himself.

"Ah, well. I _meant_ 2:30! We have an appointment, we should hurry!" his captain chirped.

Hitsugaya sighed and followed her inside the 4th Division.

"Hi!" his captain suddenly called out. They had stopped in front of a member of the 4th.

"Matsumoto-taichō," the Shinigami said and bowed formally.

"Hitsugaya, meet Tanaka. Tanaka, Hitsugaya," she presented them. Hitsugaya gave the Shinigami a nod in approval.

"Well then, I'll be on my way!" Matsumoto chirped and left him and Tanaka. "You two have fun!"

He sighed. As he thought. Matsumoto was slacking off again. This was probably an assignment she had gotten that she didn't want to do, so she made him do it instead.

"Hitsugaya-fukutaichō," the Shinigami said. "If you would please follow me."

He followed the Shinigami into a room. Tanaka sat sat down and made a sign for him to do the same.

"If you could just start with telling me what that is bothering you," Tanaka said.

What?

"I don't understand," Hitsugaya said and narrowed his eyes. "What is this assignment about?"

Tanaka got a worried expression. He wrote something down on the paper he had in front of him.

"Have you been working a lot lately?" he asked and looked up again.

"Well, I guess," Hitsugaya started before realising what he was doing. He scowled at the Shinigami in front of him. "I fail to see how this is of any import to you."

Tanaka scribbled something on the paper. "Have you been feeling stressed lately? Having too much work?"

"What kind of assignment is this?" Hitsugaya asked irritated.

"What about your relationship with your captain? Do you cooperate well?"

"Stop. Please tell me. What is this? I thought was doing an assignment. Who are you?"

Tanaka looked surprised. "You're not on any assignment," he said. "I'm a member of the 4th Division, specialised in psychological problems. You're my patient."

He was starting to come to a realisation. This wasn't his captain slacking of again. This was planned. She had arranged him an appointment with a _psychologist!_

"MATSUMOTO-TAICHŌ!"


	26. Whose Execution?

**Chapter 26**

Whose Execution?

* * *

Alarms were howling in the Department of Research and Development. They had located an abnormality in the readings. From what Rin could tell, it was created by a dimensional gate—and not the Senkaimon.

They had also discovered foreign Reiatsu signatures which could indicate that something—or someone—had come through the gate. It was only 15 minutes since they had discovered it, but the gate had probably been opened at least an hour ago.

Everyone was working. The gate was completely gone, but they could still find traces of it. They had already sent out a team to see if there was something left of it they could use to take tests. It was unlikely, considering that the gate had been gone for almost an hour when they finally had been able to find out _where_ exactly it had been.

Rin's team was still in the lab, working on locating whatever came out of the gate. It was an almost impossible task. If it was a person, which it most likely was, that person was very good at hiding her or his Reiatsu. They could find no trace of it.

"Why haven't anybody informed the captain!?" someone suddenly exclaimed. Rin recognized the voice as Third Seat Akon's.

"Rin!" the same voice shouted and Rin stood up. "Find Kurotsuchi-taichō or Nemu-fukutaichō and tell them about the situation! Get going!"

Rin left his work and ran towards Kurotsuchi-taichō's private lab. He opened the door. "Kurotsuchi-taichō!" he shouted. "We have a situation!"

" _What?_ " he heard the captains voice say.

Rin explained the situation and the 12th Division's captain got up. "Why wasn't I informed earlier?!" he shouted. "Nemu!"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," the lieutenant said and appeared beside him.

Rin followed his captain and lieutenant back to the lab, carefully keeping his distance. Rin had always considered his captain scary and didn't approach him if he didn't have to, but when Kurotsuchi-taichō was mad, he was _terrifying._

"Was is all this about?" Kurotsuchi-taichō asked Akon when they arrived the lab. Rin hurried back to continue his work.

Akon gave the captain a more detailed explanation of what was going on.

"Nemu!" Kurotsuchi shouted when Akon finished.

"Yes, Mayuri-sama?"

"Send a Hell Butterfly to the Sōtaichō!" He didn't even give her the time to turn around before he shouted: "What are you waiting for?! Get going!"

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," Nemu said again and disappeared out the door. Kurotsuchi-taichō let out an annoyed sigh.

"What are you all looking at?" he said irritated when he discovered that the entire room was staring at him. "Get back to work!"

* * *

Yamamoto hit the floor with his cane. The sound echoed through the room and all of the captains went quiet. "We have intruders in Seireitei," he said. No one said a word.

He continued. "The Department of Research and Development have discovered a dimensional gate and everything indicates that someone came through. Kurotsuchi-taichō."

The captain of the 12th Division took a step forwards. "The gate opened right above the 13th Division's barracks, exactly 27,6 metres above the ground," he started. "That was around two and a half hours ago. We haven't found any traces of the intruder or intruders. It is probably a person with either extremely little Reiatsu or one who is very skilled in hiding it."

"Above the 13th Division's barracks?" Ukitake asked when Kurotsuchi finished. "I haven't heard anything."

"Perhaps you were sleeping?" Kyōraku suggested.

"Yes," Ukitake admitted. "That may be, but I still haven't heard anything about it. If any of my division members have seen or heard something suspicious, they would have told me."

"It is possible that no one neither saw nor heard anyone. Maybe this person know how to cover their tracks," Matsumoto said.

"Perhaps," Ukitake said and nodded.

"Could it have been a Shinigami?" Suí-Fēng asked. "That would explain why no one has seen anything suspicious and why we can't find any trace of whoever-it-is's Reiatsu."

"Yes, but why would a Shinigami use another gate than the Senkaimon?" Unohana said.

"Perhaps it is an exiled Shinigami?"

Yamamoto knocked the floor with his cane again and the room went quiet. "Inform the Divisions; standard procedure. We need to find that intruder," he said. "Dismissed."

* * *

Matsumoto came in to the office and Hitsugaya took a break from his work. "I assume you've heard about the Ryoka?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

Matsumoto nodded. "We should head out," she said. They left the office to joined their Division in the search.

"What did they say?" Hitsugaya asked, referring to the Captains' Meeting.

"There are different opinions, but most of us agree that the Ryoka has to be a skilled person to have managed to avoid being discovered," she said. "Some believe that it is Shinigami, and that's why no one has noticed."

Hitsugaya suddenly felt his throat tighten. It couldn't be…? No. It couldn't. Why would she come here? She had no reason to.

"Hey, Hitsugaya? Are you okay? Do you know something about this?" Matsumoto asked when she saw his expression.

"No," Hitsugaya replied and shook his head. "I was just thinking."

Matsumoto didn't seem to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. None of them said anything more before they arrived outside.

The Division was a chaos. No one seemed to know what to do. They were running around, seemingly without any destination. Matsumoto stood up.

"Listen up everybody!" she shouted. "Team 2, 5-7 and 13 will stay here and patrol the barrack. Team 3, 8-10, 14 and 16-18 take the rest of the 10th Division's area. Hitsugaya-fukutaichō will be within this area. If you find anything or see something suspicious, report to him. The rest of you will follow me. Got it?"

"Yes, Taichō!" the 10th Division Shinigami shouted synchronously and teams disappeared each their direction. Only 20 or so Shinigami were left.

"Hitsugaya," Matsumoto said, this time only to him. "You stay here and see to that everyone do what they're supposed to do. I will take these three teams to the 13th Division and follow the Ryoka's trail from there."

"Yes, Taichō."

Matsumoto nodded. "Be careful, and see you later," she said before she left with the three teams.

* * *

 _'Dank', 'dank', 'dank'. "All Shinigami to their post; there is an intruder in Seireitei!" 'Dank', 'dank', 'dank'. "All Shinigami to their post; there is an intruder in Seireitei!"_

The message was repeated over and over again along with something that sounded like a gongong.

When Karin first heard it, she had froze. There was only one thought in her head: _I have been found out!_

The alarm had stopped after a while. Shinigami were still running around, trying to get to their post. Karin, who was also running, blended in just fine. No one seemed to notice her.

"Hey you!" a voice suddenly called out.

Correction: No one has seemed to notice her, _until now_. _Please, say it's not me, please, say it's not me!_ Karin begged inwardly.

A Shinigami appeared in front of her and stopped her. _Damn it! Why does this always happen!_

"Which Division are you in?" he asked.

"The tenth," she answered without hesitation.

The Shinigami still seemed suspicious. "Which team?" he asked.

"Team?" Karin said before thinking twice.

"Yeah, team," he repeated.

"Er, Team 4?" Karin said. _Damn it, Karin!_ she said to herself. _There's no way he'll believe you when you talk like that!_

The Shinigami narrowed his eyes. "Team 4 went with Matsumoto-taichō half an hour ago," he said and grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakutō. "Who are you?"

"You don't wanna do this. Please, just let me through," Karin said calmly.

That just seemed to make it even worse and he drew his Zanpakutō. "Are you the Ryoka?" he asked angrily.

Karin drew her own Zanpakutō, and the Shinigami took it as a yes. He attacked her, but he didn't stand a chance. She blocked his attack, and before he managed to attack again, she knocked him unconscious with the flat side of her Zanpakutō.

The Shinigami fell to the ground and ceased moving. Karin cursed inwardly. Now they would know that she had been here. She left before other Shinigami would get the time to reach her.

She just managed to get away before a pair of Shinigami showed up. She was about to leave when something caught her attention.

"Look! It's Sixth Seat Higa!" one of them shouted, a boy. "We got to tell Hitsugaya-fukutaichō!"

Karin froze when she heard the name. Carefully not to be seen, she moved closer to the pair.

"Is he alive?" a girl's voice asked worried.

"Yeah! He's just unconscious."

"You take him to the 4th and I'll tell Hitsugaya-fukutaichō!"

The boy picked up the Shinigami she had knocked out and left. The girl went the other direction.

Karin remained at the spot, unsure what to think. Hitsugaya-fukutaichō? That _had_ to be Tōshirō. It couldn't be anyone else. But wasn't he getting executed?

Se hadn't heard wrong. They had said his name twice; there was no way she could have missed it. Could it be that it wasn't Tōshirō's execution? Then whose was it?

* * *

A/N: Sorry I wasn't able to publish yesterday! I'm having a writer's block and the story just won't cooperate. I know _what_ I want to happen, I just don't know how to make it happen or in which order _._

Also, who do you think should fight? There will be some fights, but I haven't decided between who. I would love to hear you opinion!


	27. Ryoka, Kurosaki Karin

**Chapter 27**

Ryoka, Kurosaki Karin

* * *

When Matsumoto arrived at the 13th Division's barracks with her teams, the area was crowded with members from both the 12th and 13th Division. One place was particularly crowded. That was probably the place the Ryoka came through.

Ukitake met her a short distance away from all the Shinigami. He looked concerned.

"Ukitake-taichō," she greeted.

"Matsumoto," he said with a serious voice. "We need to talk."

"Sure," she said and frowned. "What is it about?"

"It's about the Ryoka," he said. Matsumoto's frown grew deeper. Ukitake continued: "She was here."

"She?" Matsumoto cut him of.

"Yes. We believe the Ryoka is a girl in her teens, probably not older than fifteen," he said. "Kuchiki Rukia of this Division met her."

"Met her? Is she okay?" Matsumoto asked.

"Yeah, Rukia is fine. She was mostly surprised that the Shinigami she met was the Ryoka, as well as guilty for not noticing. Apparently, the intruder was nice."

"So it was a Shinigami after all," Matsumoto mumbled.

"It fits; the time and the way she appeared," Ukitake said. "But we can't be entirely sure. That's why we need you to confirm it."

"Me? Why?"

"The Shinigami said she was in your Division," he said and Matsumoto's frown returned. "The girl's identified herself as 'Kurosaki Karin' of the 10th Division. She's around 140 centimetres tall and has black hair and grey eyes. Is this anyone in the 10th…?"

Matsumoto had to think about it. She had to admit, she didn't know the name of everyone in her Division. She didn't even know the name of all her seated officers. And even if it was a new recruit, she wasn't the one who dealt with them; that was one of Hitsugaya's tasks.

"I honestly don't know," she said embarrassed. Then she turned towards the teams she had brought. "Anyone who knows a Kurosaki?"

No one said anything. Some of them shock their heads. "I don't think we have anyone in our Division named Kurosaki, but I cannot be sure. I would have to ask Hitsugaya about it," she sighed. Ukitake nodded.

Matsumoto turned back and faced the teams she had brought. "Team 1, stay here and help the 12th and 13th Division with whatever they should need help for. Team 4 and 15, patrol the borders between the 10th, 12th and 13th Division's areas. Borders are always left unguarded."

"Yes, Taichō!"

Matsumoto nodded. "Good. I'll head back to the 10th and speak with Hitsugaya." She gave Ukitake one last glance. "Back in a moment!" she said before shunpoing back towards the 10th Division's barracks.

* * *

Hitsugaya froze.

That Reiatsu… It was Karin's Reiatsu. He was sure. It had appeared just as quickly as it disappeared, but it was hers already. There was no mistaken it.

What was she doing here? She shouldn't be here. Why was she here?

Had something happened?

Hitsugaya had been patrolling the 10th Division's area, keeping an eye on everyone. The 10th Division was a very functional division despite having Matsumoto as a captain (even though she had her moments, like that one earlier when she had told the teams what to do), but he needed to be there in case something happened.

Now, however, he was rushing towards the spot he had felt her Reiatsu. It was a part of the area assigned to the 10th Division, so it wouldn't be a problem if he just checked it out. Hopefully, she was still in the area.

"Hitsugaya-fukutaichō!" a voice suddenly shouted.

"Akiyama," he said and stopped, recognizing the girl. She was breathing heavily, but she showed no sign of fighting. "What's going on?"

"It was Sixth Seat Higa, he's been attacked!" Akiyama said. "He was unconscious when we got there, but didn't show any sign of serious injury. Fujita has taken him to the 4th Division."

"I see, good work," Hitsugaya said and nodded in approval. Then he added: "Where was it you found him?"

"Border to the 9th Division's area. South-east from here."

Hitsugaya nodded again. "Good. Go back to your team, I'll take care of it."

"Fukutaichō!" she said respectfully before disappearing.

Hitsugaya shunpoed in the direction she had pointed out. Seconds later he was at the scene. There was no one there, but he could still feel traces of both Karin's and the Sixth Seat's Reiatsu.

 _It really was her._ She had been here. But she wasn't here anymore.

What was he going to do? He couldn't exactly report her. But then what? Should he just let it go and forget about it? Let the others do the job?

He had to find her. He needed to know why she was here. She couldn't be here. What if she got caught? It was pure luck that this had happened within the 10th Division's area. What if someone other than him had found her first? That would have been a disaster.

 _Damn it, Karin! Why did you come here?_

Why in the world was she here? There was no reason for her to be here. When he had left, he had told her to stay away from the Shinigami! And even if she _did_ stay away from the Shinigami in the World of the Living, it didn't mean that it was okay to be near the Shinigami in _this_ world. What was she thinking going to _Soul Society?_ That was a hundred time worse!

He left the spot, trying to ignore the tingling in his stomach. He tried to ignore the fact that a part of him was happy she'd come. Happy that he would see her again.

He continued his patrol unable to think about anything but her. He was so lost his own thoughts that he almost ran into Matsumoto.

"Matsumoto-taichō! What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised to see her. "I thought you went to the 13th."

"Yeah, I did. I've been there, and we have a situation," she replied. "A girl showed up in the 13th Division around the time the portal opened who we believe to be the Ryoka. She said she was from the 10th."

"Was she?"

Matsumoto blushed. _She blushed?_ He couldn't remembered last time he saw her _blushing._ The only time her face reddened was when she was drunk.

"I got a name, but I don't know whether or not she's a part of this Division," Matsumoto mumbled.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, what is it? The name that is."

"Kurosaki Karin," she said. Hitsugaya almost choked.

"Hitsugaya? Are you okay?" his captain asked and he tried to get a hold of himself. "Do you know something about this?" she added.

Hitsugaya looked her straight in the eyes when he answered. "No. Never heard of her," he said, trying to keep on his usual mask of indifference.

Matsumoto narrowed. She had a suspicious look in her eyes. "Okay, then. I'll go back to Ukitake-taichō and let him know."

She sent him one last looked before shunpoing back to the 13th.

Hitsugaya exhaled. At least there were no doubts anymore. Karin was here in Soul Society.

* * *

Karin was in Soul Society.

And she had no idea of what to do.

The whole reason for her to go here was to save Tōshirō. But then the execution turned out to be someone else's. So she had come all the way here for nothing.

What was she going to do?

She had been asking herself that a lot lately. Because she had no idea of what to do. Should she look for him and talk to him? Or should she just find Yoruichi and leave?

Both seemed wrong. She would have felt bad for leaving without saying anything, but if she came to meet him… then what? What was she going to say? There wasn't anything to say. He had left her. They were done.

She wanted to leave. She could leave now, and he would never know she had been here. Then she wouldn't have to feel bad about leaving without telling goodbye. Or _hello_ for that matted. She could leave and pretend this never happened.

Karin sighed. She couldn't do that. Not because of him, but because of her. She wouldn't be able to leave now. Not without seeing him. She hated to admit it, but she wanted to see him. She missed him.

She had to find him. But were was he?

Her best shot was going back to the place she had knocked out that Shinigami. She should have followed the girl. She wasn't sure why she didn't. After the girl had left, she had left as well, uncertain of what to do. Now she regretted it.

She should go back. It wasn't that long ago, just a few minutes. If she went back now, she could still find the girl and follow her. Yes, that was what she was going to do.

Karin made her decision, but before she had the time to do anything, she was interrupted once again. It was a voice from behind.

"Are you the one named Kurosaki Karin?" it asked and Karin froze.


	28. In Vain

**Chapter 28**

In Vain

* * *

" _Are you the one named Kurosaki Karin?" the voice asked and Karin froze._

Slowly, she turned around. What met her was the gaze of a male Shinigami. "What if I am? How do you know that name?" she asked and tried to remain calm.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "Why have you come to Soul Society? Why do you wear a Shinigami's outfit?"

Karin narrowed her eyes. "None of your business."

"I see," he said calmly. His eyes were serious. "Then I have no other choice." He drew his Zanpakutō. Karin mirrored his movement.

For a moment, none of them moved. Karin studied the Shinigami in front of her. He had short black hair and dark grey eyes, much like herself, and he wore a sleeve-less Shihakushō. He had three scars over his right eye and the number '69' tattooed one his left cheek.

The moment passed, and the two of them attacked each other. His blade met hers and he pushed her backwards. Karin knew this was a fight she had to take serious. This person wasn't just some Shinigami. This was a high-raking officer.

"Who are you?" he asked. His Zanpakutō clashed against hers.

"Apparently, you already know that," Karin replied and pushed him away. Their katana met once more. This time it was Karin who asked: "Who are you?"

"Lieutenant of the 9th Division, Hisagi Shūhei," he answered simply. He swung his Zanpakutō in an arc. Karin jumped away. She thought she had dodge it, but a moment later she felt a sharp pain on her left cheek. A single drop of blood trickled down her face.

"Who are you?" he asked again after a while.

"You already asked that," Karin replied.

"You never gave me a real answer," he said.

"Touché," she said, and she could swear she saw a smile play on his lips.

The fight went on. Karin was beginning to feel the affect of his attacks. She had avoided most of them and had no serious injuries, but she had small cuts all over her. He was just playing. None of his attacks were serious. She gritted her teeth.

"It was stupid of you to come here," Shūhei said when she didn't answer. "What is important enough for you to be willing to throw away your life for it?"

Karin barely blocked his next attack. The way he wielded his Zanpakutō was amazing. Every move he made was planned and she was unable to predict any of them. His attacks seemed to appear put of nowhere.

"I'm not throwing away anything," Karin said through clenched teeth as she blocked another attack.

Shūhei had the upper hand. This was getting serious now. There were more power in his attacks and he moved faster and faster. She was having a hard time keeping up with him.

His next attack sent her flying and she crashed into a wall. She felt something wet trickle down her forehead and cover her vision. She touched the place with her hand and unsurprisingly, it was blood.

"Yes, you are. Invading Seireitei, especially alone, is suicide," he continued. "Give it up, and I won't have to kill you."

Karin got up on her feet again. She wiped the blood away from her face with her sleeve. "I'm not done yet!" she said angrily and attacked.

He blocked with ease. "I said: give it up already! You're no match for me. And even if you won, what would you do? Whatever you're planning, it's doomed to fail."

This time, it was his turn to attack, and this time, Karin was unable to block. His Zanpakutō hit her on her right side and left a deep cut. She coughed, and blood came out of her mouth.

"I'll give you one last chance. _Give it up._ " His voice was calm. There was no arrogance or cockiness in it. He was dead serious.

"I'll never give up," Karin mumbled.

Even though it turned out to be someone else's execution, she didn't want to give up. Karin wasn't a person who gave up. But his words made her waver. _Even if she won, what would she do?_ She had no purpose here anymore. All her effort seemed to be in vain.

All she had achieved was endangering Tōshirō. He had been just fine until she came and made a mess. If they found out… then it _would_ become his execution. Then it _would_ be her fault.

She couldn't let that happen. She had to win.

Slowly, she got up on her feet again. "I'll never give up!" she shouted and pointed her Zanpakutō at him.

"Shigetsu!" she shouted and the place went purple. Her Reiatsu was so immense that it became visible. It flared around her like flames. Shūhei's eyes widened.

Her Zanpakutō had taken a new form. The blade had extended, as had the hilt. The guard was gone and in the end of the hilt, a smaller blade had taken form. The Zanpakutō was now the same length as herself.

She took a frim grip around the hilt with both hands. The right, she placed closest to the longer blade, and the left closest to the smaller one. It came natural, as if she had done this all her life.

In the beginning, she had found it difficult to wield Shigetsu's new form. It was longer than the blade she was used to, and she always had to watch out for the smallest blade, so she wouldn't stab herself. Now, it came natural. When she held the Zanpakutō, it felt right.

Karin felt the energy return. Her wounds even stopped bleeding. She was no longer panting. "This is not over," she said, her voice no longer shaking with exhaustion. She held Shigetsu out in front of her, as a challenge.

Her opponent tightened the grip around his Zanpakutō. "As you wish," he said and attacked.

* * *

Hisagi had to say, the change in her power level surprised him. How was it possible to have such an immense Reiatsu?

When she released her Zanpakutō, she had released her Reiatsu as well. He was shocked by how much Reiatsu the kid had been hiding. It had increased tenfold, at _least_.

He should have finished this when she still had her Zanpakutō sealed.

Hisagi was the first one to attack. The girl dodged. His eyes widened. She was moving so fast! He barely saw her move. She disappeared out of his vision.

He shunpoed away. Where was she?

She appeared in front of him and swung her blade. Hisagi shielded himself with Kazeshini. The kid's Zanpakutō hit his, and the power in her attacked overwhelmed him. Again he had to jump away.

She followed, ready with her next attack. This time, he was unable to block, and her Zanpakutō hit his left side. Blood flowed from the wound. Hisagi narrowed his eyes. If this continued, he would have to release his own Zanpakutō.

His opponent wasn't slacking around, and was ready with her next attack. He tried to dodge, but her blade still hit him. He managed to get away with only a cut on his leg.

As the fight went on, it became clearer and clearer that this was hopeless. He was loosing. "I guess I have no other choice," Hisagi said with a hoarse voice. He held out is Zanpakutō.

" _Kare,_ Kazeshini."

The form of his blade changed. He grimaced. Hisagi never liked his Zanpakutō's Shikai and avoided using unless it was absolutely necessary.

They attacked synchronized. Their blades clashed once again and they looked each other directly into each other's eyes.

Hisagi was the first on to jump away. His Shikai wasn't meant for close combat. It was a long-range weapon. He threw the blade in his right hand at her.

Karin blocked and Hisagi used the chain to drag his blade back. Before he even was able to grab it, Karin was there, ready with her next attack. He blocked with his left blade and caught his right one. She jumped away.

She was the close combat type. Her blade had a small range. If he managed to keep her at distance, this would become his victory.

She made a move, but Hisagi's spinning blade kept her at distance. After a few more of her failed attacks and a few more of his successful ones, the battled seemed to be over. He was about to deliver the finishing blow when she suddenly changed tactics.

She moved closer and Hisagi threw his blade at her. She sunpoed away, but not towards him. She moved closer again and Hisagi was forced throw his other blade. He caught the one he threw a moment ago and dragged the one he just threw back.

She kept going like that, and Hisagi was starting to realise what she was trying to do. She wanted to create an opening. She had to get closer to him if she was going to have a chance of winning.

He wouldn't let that happen.

He changed his own tactics. Instead of keeping her away, he let her get closer. This way, he was able to remain in control of the battle.

His opponent seemed to believe that she finally succeeded. She attacked, but Hisagi was prepared. He threw his left blade while stopping her attack with his right. The blade he threw flew in a wide arc.

Kurosaki realised what he was up to. The spinning blade approached her from behind. She jumped away, but Hisagi predicted her movements. He pulled the chain towards himself and the blade changed course. She didn't notice the approaching blade until it was too late. She was able to avoid most of the damage, but the blade gave her a deep cut on her arm.

Then she did something he hadn't expected her to. Instead of jumping away, she jumped forward. Her sudden attack surprised him and he was unable to push her away and was forced into close combat.

Kurosaki was fighting offensively. How was she able to still fight with her wounded arm? She still had just as much force behind her attacks as she had before getting the wound.

She attacked him over and over again and Hisagi felt how he was slowly running out of Reiatsu. She didn't seem to have that problem. How was it that she had so much Reiatsu left anyway? She was using a lot more than he did, so why was he the one running out?

He had to finish this while he still had some left.

He was about to make his move when something changed. Kurosaki lifted her Zanpakutō. He felt how her spiritual energy was building up. She was preparing some kind of attack, he realised. He also knew that if he let her go through with it, he wouldn't stand a chance.

She was wide open. One shunpo, and this would be over.

He jumped at her, but was too late. She swung her Zanpakutō and there was a flash of purple light. The attack was pure spiritual energy formed like a crescent moon.

He didn't have a chance.

The attack hit him and blew up. He was thrown backward and slung through a wall. He coughed, and blood came out of his mouth. His vision was foggy.

 _How?_ he thought. How was this little girl able to fight him, a Gotei 13 lieutenant, like an equal? She was just a kid!

He wasn't able to fight any longer. This was it. He had lost.

He sent the girl one last glance before everything went black.

* * *

In another place far away, in a big dark room, three dark figures stood in silence. One of them stood in the front, and the other two waited behind him. Waited for him to say something.

"What now?" one of the two asked when he didn't. "What do we do?"

The man in the front smirked sadistically.


	29. The Secret Behind Cental 46

**Chapter 29**

The Secret Behind Central 46

* * *

"Hisagi-fukutaichō!"

" _Hisagi-fukutaichō!"_

It was voices. From far away.

Hisagi heard them. They became clearer and clearer.

To begin with, it had been pitch back. He could see nothing. After some time, things became lighter. Even with his eyes still closed, he could see motion above him.

He opened his eyes.

Over him, the 9th Division's Fourth Seat stood along with a few other unseated officers. "Fukutaichō!" she shouted. "Are you okay?"

Hisagi sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said hoarsely.

He remembered the fight. He remembered Kurosaki. He remembered the wounds she had given him.

He should have been dead by now.

He looked down, and to his surprise, the wound to his stomach was bound. Around his waist, black and white fabric, probably a piece of a Shihakushō, was tied up. "Did you do this?" he asked the Division members.

The Fourth Seat shook her head. "No. This was here when we got to you."

Hisagi couldn't resist. He smiled. "I see," he said softly.

That Kurosaki Karin... She was a strange one.

He looked up to the sky. A strange one indeed.

* * *

Hitsugaya was running. He was using Shunpo.

He had no exact destination. He was just running.

His face was as carved in ice. He was determined to find out _what_ exactly was going on. Things were not right. It didn't make any sense at all.

Soul Society had always been a traditional place. Things usually didn't change that much, if they ever did.

This was unheard of. The Central 46 changing their habits was unheard of. This should not be happening. This had never happened before. When the Central decided something, that was it. End of discussion.

They had never given any case this much attention. So why were they changing their patterns _now?_ For them, this was just yet another case. They didn't care about what happened in Gotei 13 as long as they got to keep their power.

Who cares if a captain is killed? Certainly no Central 46.

* * *

" _This cannot be!" Hitsugaya looked wide-eyed at Matsumoto. "_ Again? _"_

" _I'm afraid so," Matsumoto said sadly._

 _He looked down at his desk, trying to process all of this. The execution had been removed,_ again _. Hinamori was going to die in_ four days.

 _Hitsugaya exhaled. His breath was shivering. "I see," he said and tried to remain in control of himself._

" _Hey, are you okay?" Matsumoto asked worried._

 _He gave her a bitter smile. "Would you stop asking me that?"_

 _She frowned, but didn't say anything._

" _Thanks," Hitsugaya said and took a deep breath. "Mind if I go out for a while? I need to clear my head."_

" _Sure. Take your time."_

* * *

Hitsugaya was wandering restlessly around in the 10th Division's area. Members of the Division was running around, searching the place. Apparently, no luck yet. Maybe she had realised how idiotic she had been and went back to the Human World.

Another strange thing. The Central 46 had shown no interest in Karin, at all. The only thing they cared about was that stupid execution. They had said nothing about the Ryoka, thus the Gotei 13 was free to handle the situation however they wanted to.

And lucky for Karin, that seemed to be in a very poor way. Clearly, there were something wrong with how they handled the situation, as they were unable to catch one single girl.

Yes, it was strange indeed. It was as if… as if the Central 46 wasn't the Central 46 at all. They sure didn't act as such.

Hitsugaya found himself moving further and further away from the 10th Division's area.

His suspicions grew stronger and stronger inside of him. He had to know.

He made a decision. He was going to go to the Central 46 to see with his own eyes what was going on. If everything was as it was supposed to be, then that was fine; he would just leave again. If not, he would have to inform Gotei 13.

Hitsugaya approached the Central 46. It was an impressive sight. House—or _a_ house, depending on how you look at it—was built in a square around the actual building. It was surrounded by water, and around the water, a tall wall was build in a circle.

He stopped in front of the gate. It was open. Not a good sign.

Hitsugaya walked through the gate. He shunpoed the path over the water to the actual building. It was quiet. He had a bad feeling about this. Something was not right.

He approached the main entrance. These doors were open as well. Something was definitely off about this. They were supposed to be locked, as should the gate. Something must have happened. Something bad.

He slowed down and went inside. It was awfully quiet.

He went through the hallways. He didn't meet one single person. He searched the whole building, but here were no one there. The last place he went to was the courtroom. Last chance.

He pushed the doors open—not locked—and stepped inside.

The sight that met him made him gasp. "Oh, god," he whispered.

The entire room was filled with dead bodies. The dead bodies of the Central. They were dead. All of them.

They must have been dead for days. He could tell by the smell. It was the stinking smell of rotten corpses. He caught a glimpse of a dead body's face. He had to restrain himself not to throw up.

He was about to leave, but a sound made him stop. It was foot steps. He turned around again and a gasp escaped his mouth.

"You," he said and squinted in disbelief. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"I am. As far the Gotei 13's concerned," Aizen Sōsuke said and smiled.

"I- I don't understand. How?" Hitsugaya asked. "It was you; Unohana-taichō declared that herself. You're dead!"

"And yet, here we are," the undead captain said.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened. "It couldn't be… Did you do this?"

Aizen didn't answer. He just smiled.

"Hinamori… She really was set up!" Hitsugaya exclaimed. He looked at the former captain. "She's being executed for a crime she didn't commit, and it's all your fault!"

"A necessary sacrifice," he said, still smiling.

"How could you? She trusted you. She looked up to you, and you betrayed her!" he shouted. "You betrayed the Gotei 13! Everything was a lie!" Hitsugaya was boiling with rage. "You've been contolling the Gotei's actions from here, and no one ever noticed!"

"You always were a bright one," Aizen said. "No one ever questioned the actions of the Central. No one but you." He had a warm smile, but Hitsugaya was unable to see anything but an evil smirk. "You truely are a genius, Hitsugaya-fukutaichō."

That was it. Hitsugaya drew his Zanpakutō. " _Sōten ni zase,_ Hyōrinmaru!" he shouted.

An ice dragon shot out of the tip of the blade in the direction of Aizen …and missed.

Hitsugaya glared wide-eyed at the spot where Aizen had stood. He just disappeared. He couldn't possibly be that fast! It was impossible. No one could move that fast, even not with Shunpo.

Suddenly, an attack came from behind. Hitsugaya barely sensed it in time and was able to avoid most of the damage. His eyes grew even wider.

He hadn't seen him at all! He had _appeared_ just as fast as he had disappeared. He wasn't even able to sense his Reiatsu. It was as if he had teleported.

Aizen was gone again. Hitsugaya didn't move a muscle.

He was able to block the next attack. Aizen was wide open and Hitsugaya used the opportunity to make a move of his own. His Zanpakutō pierced the former captain's chest.

"Impressive," a voice said from behind him. It was Aizen. Hitsugaya's eyes grew wide.

He looked behind where Aizen was staning and back forwards. His Zanpakutō was no longer piercing Aizen's chest, but one of the ice blocks he had created earlier.

His Zanpakutō never hit him. It was an illusion.

He turned around and looked at the spot where the real Aizen was standing. "How?" he asked.

"My Zanpakutō has an ability called 'Complete Hypnosis'," Aizen replied, still with a gentle smile. "It controls all of the five senses. Once you've seen the release, you succumb to the power of the hypnosis."

"But… Kyōka Suigetsu is a water-type Zanpakutō! It uses diffused reflection in mist and water to create confusion. You told us that yourself!" Hitsugaya exclaimed.

Aizen smiled and Hitsugaya came to a realisation.

It was a lie. All of it. He had gathered all the lieutenants to show him the release of his blade, but it was only so that his hypnosis would work. He probably had the whole Seireitei under his spell. That was how he had made everyone believe that Hinamori killed him. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"It's all part of my plan," came the answer.

Hitsugaya didn't know which of his questions he was answering, but didn't say anything. He just glare at him.

"Seems like we've got company," Aizen said after a while and smiled. "You're girlfriend's here."

Hitsugaya instantly thought about Karin. "How do you know-" was his first reaction, but he cut himself off. "Wait, what? She not my-" Again he stopped after a half sentence. Why was he even reacting to this? He had other things to worry about.

"I'll leave you two alone," Aizen said. "See you some other time."

"No!" Hitsugaya shouted, but it was too late. The former captain was gone.

"AIZEEEEN!"

His voice echoed in the large room. He was unable to move.

 _Dammit, Hitsugaya_ ,he said inwardly. _Get a hold of yourself!_ He had to report this. He had to inform the Gotei 13!

Three Shunpo later, he was outside. He was about to run off to the Sōtaichō when he felt a familiar Reiatsu. He recognised it instantly.

A black-haired girl appeared in front of him. "Tōshirō?" she said.

"Karin..."

None of them said anything. They just stared at each other. It was so surreal.

Hitsugaya was the one who broke the silence. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Karin got an annoyed expression. "We haven't seen each other in weeks, and that's the first thing you say to me?"

"I- I'm glad to see you," he stuttered. He cleared his throat. "But seriously, what are you doing here?"

"Right now, I was just trying to find you," she answered. "But the reason I got here was to save you from execution." Her cheeks went red.

"My…?"

"I overheard the Shinigami in Karakura talk about the execution. They mentioned your name and I jumped to conclusions," she mumbled.

"That was stupid," Hitsugaya said and looked at her. "Even if it _had_ been my execution, you shouldn't have come here. You fool."

"You're the fool!" she said irritated. "I owe you my life! Of course I would come to save you!"

"But I didn't need to be saved!"

"I know that!"

She pouted. Hitsugaya couldn't resist to look at her. He studied her. When he watched her like this, he realised how much he had missed her. It really was good to see her.

"Whose execution is it anyway?" Karin asked after a while. She didn't seem to have noticed him glaring at her. "Why was your name mentioned?"

Hitsugaya got a sad expression. "It's my best friend's execution, Hinamori Momo's," he said wistfully.

Karin looked at him in surprise. "I- I'm sorry-" she said, but he cut her of.

"It wasn't her fault!" he said abruptly and grabbed her shoulders. "She's being executed for a crime she didn't commit!"

"What? Why?"

"She's being accused of killing her captain, but he's alive! It was all just an illusion; an illusion _he_ created," he said.

"So she's really innocent?" Karin asked wide-eyed.

"Yes," he said. "I have to go to the Sōtaichō and tell him. She can't be executed!"

He was about to shunpo away when he realised something. Karin was here. In Soul Society. He had been thinking about the execution and almost forgotten about it. "Karin, you have to leave," he said and looked her in the eyes. "You can't stay here in Soul Society anymore."

She was about to say something, but Hitsugaya never found out what, because just then, Matsumoto showed up.

"Matsumoto-taichō!" he exclaimed. He shot a worried glance in the direction of Karin.

His captain didn't seem to notice her. She say anything. She had a dead serious expression; the kind you usually _never_ saw on her face. And… there was something more to it. Was it… disappointment?

"Taichō?" he said confused. "What is it?"

"Hitsugaya Tōshirō," she said hard. "You're under arrest."

" _What?_ "


	30. Saving Momo

**Chapter 30**

Saving Momo

* * *

"Hitsugaya Tōshirō," she said hard. "You're under arrest."

" _What?"_

Matsumoto looked from him to Karin. "I suppose this is her?" she asked.

Hitsugaya sent Karin a glance before looking back at Matsumoto. "What?" he said again, not knowing what to say.

"Give it up. We _know,_ " she said with an expressionless face. "Kurosaki Karin. Student at Mashiba Middle School. _A human with Shinigami powers._ "

Hitsugaya was shocked. How could they know? He and Karin hadn't seen each other in weeks, and _now_ they suddenly knew? It didn't make sense. Even if they had overheard their conversation, it was impossible for them to get that much information in so little time.

"I can explain-" Hitsugaya started, but Matsumoto cut him off.

"I don't need you're explaination. I know enough. It's forbidden to give humans Shinigami powers!" She shock her head. "I really did not expect this of you."

"Taichō, listen," he said and tried to remain calm. "This is not what's important now! Aizen is still alive, Hinamori was set up. She's getting executed for a crime she did not commit!"

"Don't try to talk your way out of this! I never expected you to sink this low."

"It's the truth! The Central 46 was murdered by Aizen-"

"Hitsugaya! Stop it!" Matsumoto shouted. "Do you really expect me to believe this? Don't make this any worse than it already is by denying it."

This time, it was Karin who spoke up. "He saved my life! He saved my whole family! If he hadn't done what he did, my entire family would have been dead!" she shouted.

"That doesn't change the fact that he broke the law!" Matsumoto shouted back at her.

She was about to say something more, but Hitsugaya stopped her. He grabbed her sleeve. "Karin, don't," he said through clenched teeth.

Then he looked back at Matsumoto. "Yes, I broke the law. I'll willingly take whatever punishment the Gotei seem fit, just let me save Hinamori!"

"Hinamori committed a crime she's going to take the consequences for. You will come willingly without any discussion," his captain said coolly.

"I can't do that," he said. "Hinamori is innocent, I can prove it. Just go in to the Central and see for yourself."

Matsumoto gave him a sad look. "Hitsugaya, I'm not doing this because I want to. Please, just don't make this harder than it already is. You will have to take the consequences for your actions, just like Hinamori. Don't make it any worse."

"I'm not," he insisted.

Matsumoto grabbed her Zanpakutō. "Please, don't make me do this." Her voice sounded broken.

Hitsugaya grabbed is own. "I'm not," he repeated. "We don't have to do this."

Matsumoto drew her katana. "Apparently, we have," she said.

With his eyes still fixed at Matsumoto, he said: "Karin, you get out of here. Go back to the World of the Living."

"What? No!" Karin shouted. "Don't do this!"

"Just go!"

"Can't let you do that," Matsumoto suddenly shouted. She attacked, but not Hitsugaya. She was jumping towards Karin.

The sound of katana clashing echoed through the area. "Can't let you do _that_ ," Hitsugaya said calmly while blocking Matsumoto's attack.

"Please, Tōshirō, let me help you!" Karin insisted.

"This is _my_ fight, Karin," he said without looking away from Matsumoto. "Do not interfere. Do yourself a favour and leave Soul Society!"

"Fine, I won't interfere," Karin said after a while.

Hitsugaya lifted a brow. He hadn't expected her to give up that esily. "Thanks. Now, _leave._ "

To his surprise, she shock her head. "Can't do that," she said.

"What? Why?"

"Don't worry, Tōshirō, I'll be fine. You take care of this" Karin said. She looked him in the eyes. "I'm going to save Momo."

This time, Matsumoto looked up as well. Hitsugaya was shocked. "What? No!" he shouted.

"I owe you my life. You risked yours to save my family," she said. "It's just fair and square that I do the same for you."

"No, Karin! You don't have to do this," he insisted. "I'll save Hinamori. You just go back to the Human World!"

"This girl is wrongfully getting executed. I can't let that happen," Karin said.

"But- You don't even know her!"

She smiled. "But I know _you._ This is the right thing to do."

"Don't, don't do this," Hitsugaya begged.

"It's okay. I'll be alright," she said. "I came here to stop an execution. Might as well do it while I'm still here." With that said, she shunpoed away.

"Whoa, you can't just leave like that!" Matsumoto shouted. She was about to jump after her, but Hitsugaya stopped her.

"Leave Karin alone," he almost growled.

She turned around and looked at him. "Do you really want to do this?" she asked.

"Do I have any other choice?"

"Of course you have. Surrender."

"Never."

"Then I guess you have no other choice," she said and attacked.

* * *

Karin didn't know who Hinamori was. The only thing she knew about her was that she was Tōshirō's best friend and the lieutenant of the 5th Division.

But she was going to save her anyway.

Tōshirō had risked his life to save hers. She owed him _everything_ , but she had never had the opportunity to repay him. This mattered to him. That's why she was going to save this girl.

She trusted him. If he said that this girl hadn't done anything wrong, then she couldn't let her be executed. She was going to stop that execution. For Tōshirō.

She felt bad about leaving him behind, but she believed in him. She respected him enough to honour his wish. He said that this fight was _his_ fight. She knew him well enough to know that he would never forgive her if she interfered.

"Oi, you!" someone suddenly shouted and Karin was stupid enough to look up. In seconds, she was surrounded by Shinigami. It was a group of about ten people, and they all pointed their Zanpakutō at her.

"Identify yourself!" one of them shouted.

Karin didn't hesitate. "I'm Kurosaki Karin!" she said and drew her own Zanpakutō. "And I would recommend you to stay away and let me pass!"

The reaction was immediate.

"It's her!"

"The Ryoka!"

"Get her!"

They attacked almost synchronized. Karin blocked and delivered her own attacks, carefully not to seriously hurt anyone. Just like she had did with the first guy who found her out, she knocked them unconscious with the flat side of her blade.

To begin with, she was just fine. After a while though, she realised that this couldn't go on. Every time she went around another corner, another group of Shinigami appeared. At this rate, the execution would be over before she even got there.

The next group she ran into actually manage to hurt her. She was still tired after her battle with Hisagi Shūhei, and all the fighting had ripped open a few of her wounds. Just when she was about to knock the last one out, she began feeling dizzy. The Shinigami she was fighting took advantage of that and attacked. He manage to wound her leg before she knocked him out as well.

She ran past a few more houses, but found out soon enough that she wasn't able to move properly. The wound didn't hurt that much, but it inhibited her ability to move like normal. The dizziness didn't help either.

She cursed inwardly. This was stupid! She had been careless and gotten herself wounded, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She was so focused on her leg that she failed to see the Shinigami that was standing around the next corned. She crashed into the Shinigami and landed on her back.

"Owowow!" he whined and held his arms around his head.

"Sorry!" Karin said on reflex.

The Shinigami looked up and gasped. "It- It's you! Th-the Ryoka!" he stuttered.

"Hey, I know you!" Karin said, recognizing the stuttering. "Your Hanatarō, right?"

"Please, don't hurt me!" he begged her and closed his eyes.

"Relax! I'm not going to hurt you!" she said, trying to calm him down. "Now keep quiet before other Shinigami show up!" Obedient, Hanatarō shut his mouth.

Both of them frozen when they heard voice farther ahead. Even worse was that they could hear voices from behind as well.

"Hanatarō! You know the place; where is the fastest way out of here?!" Karin asked the frightened Shinigami next to her.

"D-down," he stuttered. "The s-sewers."

"Great! How do we get there?"

He pointed at one of the squared that covered the ground. "There," he said. "But you can't go there alone! Only 4th Division members know how to get around there!"

"Are you a member of the 4th?" Karin asked and he nodded. "Great!" she continued and moved the square away. "Then you come with me!"

"Wha-" he started, but didn't get any longer before getting dragged down by Karin.

They tumbled down and landed on the hard floor in the sewers. Karin put the square back and it became dark. After a moment, they could hear footsteps above them, but no one seem to think of looking in the sewers.

After a while, the sound of footsteps disappeared and it became totally quiet. Karin let out a relieved sigh.

She looked as the small Shinigami to her left which looked terrified back at her. "Sorry 'bout that," she mumbled. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," he answered, still with a frightened expression.

"Please relax, I'm not gonna hurt you," Karin said, but it didn't seem to help that much. She sighed before asking: "What's the shortest way to that… white.. tower-thingy?"

"Y-you mean the Senzaikyū?" Hanatarō asked.

"Yeah, sure," Karin replied, not knowing exactly what the 'Senzaikyū' was. There couldn't be that many white towers in Seireitei, so she guessed that they were talking about the same one.

"Why are you going there?" he asked.

"I'm going to save Momo," Karin said determined.

"Hinamori-fukutaichō?" he said surprised. "Why?"

She hesitated. "I'm doing a friend a favour," she said in the end. Hanatarō still seemed uncertain.

"Hinamori didn't kill her captain," Karin said, trying to make it seem more reasonable. "If you don't help me, she will get executed for a crime she did not commit."

This time, it was Hanatarō who hesitated. He looked at the ground, then at Karin and then back at the ground again. He took a shivering breath.

In the end, he made a decision. He looked up at Karin, this time without looking away. She could see that he was still not sure about his choice and he looked as frightened as ever, but he gave her an answer.

"Follow me, please."


	31. Hitsugaya vs Matsumoto

**Chapter 31**

Hitsugaya vs. Matsumoto

* * *

Their Zanpakutō met and both of them tried to push the other one back. Hitsugaya was strong, but Matsumoto took advantage of his hight and he was the one to jump away first.

"Do you honestly believe you'll be able to beet me?" Matsumoto asked.

Hitsugaya attacked. "In fact, I do," he said while swinging his Zanpakutō at her.

"Fool," was all she said. They fought in silence. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of katana clashing.

"Who is she?" Matsumoto asked after a while.

"You already know that," Hitsugaya replied. "Kurosaki Karin. You said so yourself." He shunpoed away.

"Yes, I know _who_ she is," Matsumoto said impatient. "But I wanna know who she is to you _._ "

"What?" slipped out of him and he lost focus for a moment. Matsumoto took advantage of that and he received a nasty wound to his side. He jumped away again and covered the wound with his hand. He was breathing heavily.

"See," Matsumoto said. They stopped up for a moment and none of them made a move. Matsumoto had a relaxed pose. Hitsugaya gritted his teeth. She wasn't taking him seriously.

"There's clearly something going on between you two!" Matsumoto chirped. "The moment I mentioned her, you lost your focus."

Hitsugaya growled. "You're not taking this seriously. Enough with the chit-chat!" he said angrily. _"_ _Sōten ni zase,_ Hyōrinmaru!"

A dragon of ice shot out of the tip of his blade. Matsumoto moved away and he area the dragon hit became covered in ice.

"So be it," Matsumoto said with a serious expression. " _Unare,_ Haineko!" she shouted and ash filled the air.

Hitsugaya sent another ice dragon at her, but she blocked it with the ash. Frozen ash hit the ground with a thud. Matsumoto sent a wave of ash in his direction, but he blocked it as easily as she had done.

"But seriously," Matsumoto said while dodging his next attack. "What _is_ going on between you to?"

"There is _nothing_ between us!" Hitsugaya said annoyed.

"Well, it _clearly is_ ," she said and their katana met. The two of them stared into each other's eyes. It was like they tried to persuade the other one to give up. Again, Hitsugaya was the one to first jump away.

He didn't slack of like his captain and was already there with his next attack.

Somehow, it didn't feel like they were fighting for real at all. The way Matsumoto was joking around reminded him of when they trained together. It could just as well have been a normal sparring session. It was easy to forget the circumstances.

"Why are you not taking this seriously!" he shouted, as an echo of his mind. Matsumoto was one of the few people that saw him as more than just a child. Even though she often teased him about his size, she acknowledged him. He would never admit it out loud, but that was important to him. That's why he hated that she didn't take this seriously.

"I will start taking this seriously once you start fighting seriously!" Matsumoto replied.

"I _am_ fighting seriously, unlike you!" Hitsugaya said furiously.

"No, you're not!" she said and sent a wave of ash in his direction. He put up a wall of ice, but some of the ash got through, leaving him with small cuts all over his body. "You're letting your emotions get the best of you!"

"I'm not!" he said irritated and swung his Zanpakutō at her.

"Yes, you are!" Matsumoto said blocked. Hitsugaya jumped away. Matsumoto didn't make a move and gave him a pause, allowing him to think.

A part of what made him a good worrier was that he always managed to keep a cool head and never let anything distract him. Hitsugaya never lost his temper. He was always clear-headed.

But not now. Matsumoto was right. He had let his emotions take control. This wasn't just any other fight. It was personal. It wasn't just about Karin. This whole situation made him furious.

Why couldn't they see!? Hinamori was the victim here! Not Aizen! Why couldn't they see that something was wrong here!

And what he did in the World of the Living had been the right thing to do! A Shinigami's purpose was to purify hallows and protect the living! That was top priority! Even if it meant breaking the rules.

Hitsugaya discovered that he was breathing faster and faster. He was doing it again. He was letting his emotions cloud his mind.

 _Calm down, Hitsugaya,_ he said to himself. This is exactly what Matsumoto was talking about. She had every right not to take him seriously when he was acting like this.

He tried to push away his thoughts. The only way he would have a chance of winning was if he remained level-headed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was serious, and he had to act accordingly. He couldn't let the situation cloud his judgement, even if it was personal.

He looked at Matsumoto and held his Zanpakutō out in front of him. "Hyōrinmaru!" he shouted and covered the area in ice.

"See, that's what I'm talking about!" she said jumped away, avoiding the ice.

Matsumoto's ash spread around him like fog. Suddenly the ash started to swirl around him. It came closer and closer and there was no escape.

This was one of her standard techniques. Matsumoto could cut anything the ash touched, and it was almost impossible to get away.

Hitsugaya had seen this technique several times before and had escaped it before. He let out his spiritual energy and created an icy wind. It wasn't enough to blow away the ash, but it helped keeping it away from himself.

He detected Matsumoto's Reiatsu and pointed his Zanpakutō at the spot. Then he shot ice out of the tip of the blade, freezing himself a way out of the ash fog.

Unfortunately, Matsumoto predicted his move and attacked him before he managed to get all the way out. The ash touched his back, wounding him. Hitsugaya ignored the pain and created more ice.

The ice surrounded her and attacked her from all sides. Matsumoto gathered her ash, but was too slow. The ice hit her left side, leaving scratches on both her arm and leg. She winced in pain.

Hitsugaya used the opportunity to attack. Still weak after his previous attack, she failed to defend herself, leaving her wide open. She tried to shunpo away, but his blade hit her anyway.

One of Haineko's weaknesses was that the blade itself becomes the ash. When she releases it, the hilt is the only thing left. That makes it easy to attack directly.

Matsumoto grabbed her shoulder where his blade had hit her. The wound was bleeding badly and she was breathing heavily. "Nice," Matsumoto said. "You've improved during these last months."

Hitsugaya didn't say anything.

"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no other choice," she continued and held out her Zanpakutō.

" _Bankai._ Hageshī Haineko!"

The place exploded in ash. Hitsugaya did his best to defend himself, but there were just too much ash. His ice was not enough and the ash broke easily through. When the ash finally calmed down and withdrew, Hitsugaya was standing on all four with wounds all over his body.

He was bleeding badly. The ash left bigger wounds than it had in Shikai, and there were a lot more of it. It wasn't just a fog anymore. You could bathe in it. It was all over the place.

He had never seen his captain's Bankai before. He knew she had one as she was a captain, but he had never seen her actually use it. It was overwhelming.

"Give up, Hitsugaya," Matsumoto said. "There is no way you can win. Give up before you seriously hurt yourself."

Hitsugaya slowly got up on his feet again. "I won't give up! I can't!"

"Yes, you can!" she said. "I don't want to do this, but if I have to, I'll do whatever it takes. I was given an order, and I _will_ carry it out."

"This isn't just about me standing up to the authorities. This is about doing what's _right_ _,_ " he said. "And for that, _I'_ _ll_ do whatever it takes."

Her expression hardened. "So be it."

Hitsugaya held Hyōrinmaru out in front of him. Then he did something she had not expected. He pointed his Zanpakutō at her and shouted: " _Bankai!_ Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"

* * *

Wait, what?

Matsumoto stared. She was shocked. When did he…? How?

She stared at him, stunned. Wings of ice grew out of his back, and three ice figures formed above him in the shape of his Zanpakutō's guard. His Reiatsu had increased tremendously. The temperature in the area dropped several degrees.

He didn't slack off and swung his katana. An incredible amount of ice came out of it and it was all going in her direction.

Matsumoto managed to avoid most of it, but was too surprised to defend herself effectively. The attack ended up as ice mountains behind her.

She stared at him, then at the ice, before back at him again. "When did you learn Bankai?" she said wide-eyed.

"Who is it now that looses focus?" he asked without answering the question.

"Well, that's to be expected, don't you think!" she said irritated.

"Stop whining and fight!" Hitsugaya said and attacked again, this time directly.

Matsumoto shielded herself with the ash. To her surprise, his attack pushed her backwards. It was definitely a lot more powerful now then it had been in Shikai. Had she still been in Shikai, she wouldn't have been able to block it.

This time, it was she who first jumped away. She discovered that she was breathing heavily.

Hitsugaya attacked again, this time using his ice as well. Matsumoto moved the hilt of her katana and the ash moved with it. Her ash attacked his ice and tried to push it away. She let out a frustrated growl.

The ash froze. She moved her hilt and the ice shattered into thousands of pieces, letting the ash out.

She had to end this. Victory wasn't granted, as she had thought to begin with. He might actually have a chance at winning. She couldn't waste more time. This wasn't a spar. This was serious. She couldn't risk loosing.

" _Neko Rinbu!"_ she shouted and the ash started swirling around him.

The ash went faster and faster until it became a tornado. Hitsugaya was somewhere in it, but she couldn't see him. Nothing happened for a while, and Matsumoto believed for a moment that this was it.

But it was not.

The tornado changed. Ice had mixed together with the ash. It became more and more of it until the whole tornado exploded. It was ice everywhere. Matsumoto shielded herself with ash, avoiding the damage.

The wind died out and things calmed down. She looked around until she spotted him. He was standing in the middle of all the destruction the tornado had caused. He was heavily wounded, but still standing.

How was he still standing? Had he improved that much? Was he this powerful? It was incredible that he was still conscious, let alone _standing._

Then she saw it. The ice figured over him; something was different. There were no longer twelve pieces. Only nine were left.

And she guessed he would be finished when all the pieces was gone. Ergo, she didn't have to win; she just had to last long enough for him to loose.

With this in mind, she attacked again. Hitsugaya protected himself with the ice. Then he shunpoed toward her, attacking her directly.

Her Zanpakutō in its released state had a weakness, and that was close combat. It was harder to defend herself and she couldn't use her attack, since all of them were long-ranged attacks. Hitsugaya knew this and took advantage of that.

But Matsumoto wasn't a captain for nothing. She was well aware of her weaknesses and had worked hard to improve. Even though it was more difficult, she didn't have any trouble defending herself.

She used the ash to shield herself. At the same time, she attacked. He was wide open after attacking and the ash hit him. Hitsugaya had to use his ice to push it away. Two more pieces faded away.

The fight went on and the pieces disappeared one after another until there were only a single on left.

Both of them were badly wounded. They were breathing heavily. It was clear that none of them would last any much longer. This was it.

They both jumped against one another in one last attack. Ash met ice one last time.

There was an explosion of ice, ash and Reiatsu. A cold wind mixed with ash and ice hit her. It was too strong, and she got blown away with it. She flew backwards until she hit a wall with full force.

Everything was a blur. All she cold see was a conglomeration of colours. Her ears were still ringing after the explosion.

Eventually, the wind disappeared. Matsumoto slowly got up on her feet. Her body was hurting everywhere. Just as slowly, she took a step forward. And another one. Step by step, she pushed herself forward.

Her eyes searched the place. The whole place was covered in ashes and ice. She looked around, trying to find her lieutenant.

In the end she found him. He was lying on the ground, covered in ice, ash and blood _—_ unconscious.

"I'm sorry, Hitsugaya," she said. Her vision was starting to fade away. It became darker. She sent him one last glance before falling down to the ground.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled and passed out.


	32. Down the Sewers and Up Again

**Chapter 32**

Down the Sewers and Up Again

* * *

Karin and Hanatarō walked in silence. None of them had said a word ever since Hanatarō had agreed to help her. She assumed he was too scared to say anything. He seemed like a generally nervous person.

Karin herself didn't say anything in fear of scaring him even more than she had already. It must have been quite a shock when she suddenly showed up and dragged him along with her.

She felt kind of bad about that. When she had been up there, chased by the entire Seireitei, the sewers had seemed like her only option. And since the 4th Division was the only division able to get around down there, she had brought Hanatarō with her.

She looked up at the Shinigami in front of her and bit her lip. Even though he had agreed to get her to the Senzaikyū, she felt like she was forcing him. Maybe he believed she would hurt him if he did not agree.

Karin opened her mouth to speak, but before she had the chance of saying anything, she felt a sudden pain in her left leg. It was the leg that Shinigami had wounded her earlier. She had forgotten all about it, but now the pain was back.

She let out a whine and unintentionally fell down to the ground. Hanatarō turned around to see what had happened.

"Are you okay?" he asked her and approached. He had a worried expression _—_ but then again, he always had that expression.

Karin clutched her leg. "I'm fine. It's just my leg," she replied through clenched teeth.

"Let me see," Hanatarō said and sat down beside her. He pushed her hakama up to her knee to take a closer look. His eyes widened.

"This is bad," he said. "If you don't get this fixed, it can become infected, or worse!"

He took off the white bag he always carried on his back and put it down beside her. He opened it and took out a piece of cloth. He wiped away most of the blood and Karin gritted her teeth in.

The next thing Hanatarō did was place his hands over the wound. His hands emitted a green light and Karin felt a tingling sensation on her leg. When he put his hands down, the wound was almost completely gone. He took a roll of bandages out of his bag and tied it around the almost healed wound.

"Wow, thanks," Karin said when he was done. The pain was completely gone. She was about to get up, but Hanatarō held her down.

"Wait," he said. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand and touched her side. There was blood on his fingers. He looked up at her. "You've wounds all over you! Where did you get all these?"

Karin was about to answer, but Hanatarō cut her of. "Forget it, I don't think I want to know," he said, shaking his head. "Just let me fix it."

He held out his hand and the green light appeared again. This time, it took longer. After all, she had received quite a few injuries after her battle with Hisagi Shūhei.

When he finally was done, Karin felt as good as new. "I feel fantastic!" she exclaimed. "Thank you!"

Hanatarō gave her a hesitantly smile. "You're welcome."

They continued walking, Hanatarō leading the way and Karin following right behind.

Karin had an inner battle with herself whether or not to talk to him again. She didn't want to scare him, but she really wanted to know. She hesitated. "Why do you help me?" she asked after a while.

Hanatarō turned around and looked at her. "Y-you said you were going to save Hinamori-fukutaichō," he said. "I believe you when you say she didn't kill Aizen-taichō, and I don't want her to die."

"Really?" Karin said. She was surprised he had believed her, just like that. After all, she was the enemy. For all he knew, everything she had said to him hand been a lie, and that she was just using him to get what she wanted.

Okay, that last part was actually true, but she had never lied to him! She had never forced him to do anything. Well, except from when she dragged him down to the sewers that is. It had been his choice to help her.

"I was the one in charge of looking after Hinamori-fukutaichō," Hanatarō continued, "I gave her food and cleaned her cell. I am probably the person she has seen the most during this time. Poor Hinamori-fukutaichō. She was heart-broken."

He got a sad expression. "She was always so sweet. After her captain's death, she was only a shadow of her former self. She didn't seem like a person who could kill anyone. She seemed like a person who had just lost someone very important to her."

Karin was amazed. Hanatarō looked at her. "When you told me that Hinamori-fukutaichō didn't kill Aizen-taichō, I knew you were telling the truth. That's why I'm helping you."

Karin nodded. "Don't worry," she said. "I am going to save Momo, even if it's the last thing I'll do. That's a promise."

* * *

When Hitsugaya woke up the next time, he instantly knew where he was. He recognized the place as the 10th Division's prison.

He let out a groan. His body felt like it had been set on fire, which really wasn't a pleasant feeling. Slowly, he dragged himself up to a sitting position. His head hurt. In fact, his whole body hurt. He felt terrible. And despite that, it wasn't the physical injuries that were the worst.

He couldn't remember last time he had felt this terrible. His best friend was getting executed, his newest friend's whereabouts were unknown, he had just lost a battle that could have saved them both, said battle had almost taken his life, and now he was a prisoner in his own barracks.

In summary, he felt like crap. Could it get any worse?

He got a bitter smile, remembering last time he had had that thought. Everything had seemed hopeless, just to become even more hopeless. Every time he thought that it couldn't possibly get any worse, _it got worse_.

He looked up at the ceiling. He was full of regrets. He regretted everything. This was all his fault. And there was nothing he could do to help.

* * *

Karin almost stumbled into Hanatarō. She had been lost in her own thoughts when he suddenly stopped without her noticing.

"Why are we stopping?" she asked.

"This is how long the sewers can take you," Hanatarō said. "The rest of the way you'll have to go above ground."

"I see," Karin said and nodded. Hanatarō started to climb up the ladder that led outside. She followed him.

When they got out, Karin couldn't see a thing. The daylight burned in her eyes. They had been down in the dark for so long and her eyes had gotten used to it. She shadowed her face with her hand and squinted.

This place looked just like the place she had been before entering the sewers. In fact, this was what the entire Seireitei looked like. She was completely unable to tell the difference.

That was when she discovered the white tower. Her eyes widened despite still not having adjusted to the light. It was a lot bigger now than it had been last time. It looked like it was right in front of her.

"That's the Senzaikyū?" Karin asked and looked at Hanatarō.

He nodded. Karin stared in awe at the white tower. After all this time, she was finally here.

"Almost there!" she exclaimed. The she turned back and looked at the 4th Division Shinigami. "Thanks, Hanatarō. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"N-no problem," he said and looked at his feet.

"Well, then. I'm off!" Karin said and started running again.

"Wait!" Hanatarō shouted and ran after her. "Please, take me with you!"

"What? No, it's too dangerou,!" Karin said. There was no way she could bring Hanatarō into all of this! After everything he'd done fore her; she would never forgive herself if he got hurt.

"Please, I want to help Hinamori-fukutaichō!" he begged.

"I can't! I'm an intruder! If you are seen helping me, you'll be punished as well!"

"I beg you! I'm probably already marked as a traitor!"

Karin hesitated, but in the end, she couldn't refuse. If this was what he wanted, she couldn't stop him. "Fine, but please be careful, and if something happens, you must leave right away!"

"Thank you!" he said happily, even though he still had that nervous expression. Maybe that was just how he looked.

Karin sighed. She was way over her head. When she first came here, she had never thought that things would turn out to be this _complicated_. She hadn't thought that far into the future. It was just _here and now_ that mattered.

They ran up the stair on their way to the Senzaikyū. Unbelievably, they never once met a Shinigami. In the beginning, Karin thought that _maybe, just for once,_ she would have some luck, but of course not. Halfway up the stairs, Karin sensed a Reiatsu. And it was ridiculously large.

Beside her, she naoticed Hanatarō was breathing heavily, and it wasn't because of all the running. "This Reiatsu… Who could possibly possess such an enormous spiritual pressure?" Karin mumbled.

They reached the top of the stairs. Karin looked up ahead, but couldn't see anything. Whoever the Reiatsu belonged too still was some distance away. "Hanatarō, you stay here," she said to the little Shinigami.

She was about to leave when Hanatarō suddenly fell down. The weight of the Reiatsu became to much for him. He looked up at her with a frightened expression. "Karin, you mustn't go!" he panted. "This Reiatsu, it's the 11th Division's captain!"

Karin looked confused at him. "What are you talking about? I have to go!" she said.

"No, you can't!" he said and grabbed her sleeve. "If you go any further, you'll die!" His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. He wasn't just scared, he was _terrified._ "It is _Zaraki Kenpachi!"_

Karin looked wide-eyed at him. Who in the world was this 'Kenpachi'? Wasn't the captains supposed to be leaders? The good guys? What could he have done to make Hanatarō look so terrified?

She looked forward again. The Reiatsu was approaching, fast. It was only a matter of time before he would be here. Karin drew her Zanpakutō with the hand that was not held down by Hanatarō.

…

Some distance away, the owner of the Reiatsu grinned broadly.

* * *

A/N: This update came out _way_ later than originally planner; sorry 'bout that! One should have thought that the teachers would cut you some slack the first week at school, but _noooo!_ This week has been awful, I've barely had any spare time at all! In fact, I didn't have the opportunity to start writing this chapter until yesterday!

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter! Hopefully, it won't be too long until the next update.


	33. Karin vs Kenpachi

**Chapter 33**

Karin vs. Kenpachi

* * *

"Hanatarō, I want you to leave," Karin said still looking in the direction of the Reiatsu. She could tell that this would get ugly, and she didn't want to drag Hanatarō into the mess.

He didn't move. In fact, he didn't seem to have heard what she said at all. He had frozen in fear and stared wide-eyed in the same direction as herself, still clutching her sleeve.

Karin put a hand on his shoulder and shook him. "Hanatarō!" she said, louder this time. He blinked and looked at her.

"Karin, you cannot go!" he said again. "We have to leave!"

"I've already told you, I can't! I have to save Momo, and this is the only way!" Karin said. "Who is Kenpachi anyway?"

Hanatarō's expression darkened. "'Kenpachi' is a title only given to the strongest Shinigami. He's the captain of the 11th Division, the division that specializes in combat," he explained. "Zaraki-taichō is known to be ruthless and violent. Most of us do our best to avoid him."

He grabbed her sleeve again. "You would be wise to do the same!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this," Karin said.

Hanatarō seemed like he was about to say something more, but he never got the chance. Suddenly, a pulse of Reiatsu was sent out in their direction. Both of them were pushed backward, and Karin landed in her back.

This Reiatsu, it was enormous! And it wasn't just the size of it that that startled her; the really scary thing about it was the killer intent it emitted. It felt like someone was choking her. For the first time ever since she got here, Karin was scared. All her instincts was screaming that she had to get away from there. And she should. She should take Hanatarō's advise and get out of here. She could find an other way to Momo, but she had to avoid this fight.

She got up on her feet. "Hanatarō, we should _—_ " she started, but never got any further.

A dark figure had appeared in the alley. She instantly recognized him as the owner of the Reiatsu. "Too late..." Hanatarō whispered hoarsely.

Three shunpo later, the figure was standing in front of her. She held up her Zanpakutō and looked wide-eyed at the person in front of her. He was a large man, almost twice as tall as her. He had black spiky hair with something looking like bells at the tip of each spike. He had a scar over his left eye and his other eye was covered by an eye patch.

He looked at her with a wide grin. He was grinning so broadly that the smile almost covered half of his face. The smile itself was scary enough, but the thing that creeped her out the most was his eye. It was looking at her with the most bloodthirsty look she had ever seen.

"I guess you must be Kenpachi," she said and tried to keep her voice steady. She failed miserably.

His smile grew even wider. "I am!" He drew his Zanpakutō. "And I've come here to kill you!"

Without any form of warning, he jumped forward with his katana in the air. Karin barely blocked. She jumped away, dragging Hanatarō with her. She broke free from his grip and pushed him away.

Kenpachi was already next to her, ready with his next attack. She barely managed to lift her Zanpakutō in defence and his met hers. She was overwhelmed by the power behind his attack. He was so powerful, and he didn't seem to strain himself at all.

Who in the world _was_ this person? He was a maniac!

He just attacked her! Wasn't it routine to try to make her give up without fighting? Fighting should always be a last resort, shouldn't it?

And why the heck was he grinning?!

She jumped further and further away, trying to avoid his attacks. At the same time, she was trying to avoid Hanatarō who was half unconscious, overwhelmed by the great spiritual pressure.

She was fighting defensively. Kenpachi didn't give her the opportunity to attack, and she was way too busy defending herself from his attacks. Sweat was trickling down her face. If this continued, she would be dead within the next five minutes!

She was about to jump away again, but Kenpachi anticipated her move had made her lose her balance. She stumbled backward and landed on her back. _This is it,_ she thought, expecting him to finish her off.

But he never did. He was standing in front of her, looking at her with a displeased look. "Is that all you've got?" he said with a scowl. "I didn't run all over Seireitei looking for you just for this!"

Karin swept blood away from her face and got up on her feet again. "I'm not done!" she shouted, still breathing heavily. She held out her Zanpakutō. " _Shigetsu!_ "

Strength returned to her body. Her Reiatsu was flaring around her. She pointed her Zanpakutō at him and the grin returned to his face.

He didn't hesitate and attacked again. His attack didn't weaken, but this time, Karin was able to block without jumping away. She even managed to deliver an attack of her own. He grinned wider.

The fight continued, but it didn't take her long realising that nothing had changed. There was no way she was going to win this! He was just too strong!

She analysed his movements. His fighting style was rough. He was strong and he was fast, but he had many flaws. His strength, speed and enormous spiritual energy made up for that though. So it didn't matter.

She saw openings all the time, but she was never able to take advantage of them. Whenever she tried to attack, he just changed his stance and the opening disappeared. It was like he knew what she was going to do, like he made openings on purpose just to give her a chance to attack.

Karin gritted her teeth in frustration. It was hopeless. She had had plenty opportunities to attack, but she never succeeded. In fact, her blade hadn't hit him at all!

This was what a captain-level was like. The strength and speed he possessed was amazing. And his Reiatsu was just ridiculously strong.

Tōshirō had been right. This _was_ ridiculous. To think that she had intended to beat all the _thirteen_ captains. She couldn't even beat one!

She was about to loose all confident when she suddenly saw an opening. If it was on purpose or not, she didn't no, but she was definitely going to use it. This might be her chance of beating him!

As fast as she could and with all of her strength, she swung her Zanpakutō. Kenpachi grinned and did nothing to stop it.

Her blade hit him.

And… what?

Her blade… hit him…

Her eyes widened.

Wha-

Why wasn't he bleeding? There wasn't even a scratch!

She hit him with everything she got, and _nothing_ happened. It was like as if her blade had hit steel. What in the world?

In fact, blood was dripping from her own hands. She attack _him_! Then why was _she_ the one getting hurt?!

"You seem surprised," Kenpachi said. "Do you wonder way your Zanpakutō won't cut me?"

Karin is speechless.

"It's simple," he stated. "Your strength and your Reiatsu is inferior to mine. Instead, the damage that was supposed to be inflicted on me is inflicted on you." Her eyes widened even more. This man was a monster!

"I have to say though," he continued. "I'm disappointed. I really thought you'd be able to cut me." He held out his Zanpakutō and grinned. "Try not to die too quickly!" he shouted in excitement before attacking her again.

His attacks seemed even more powerful now than before. Every time his Zanpakutō met hers she was pushed backward. Sometimes, she was able to block, but other times, she was not. She wasn't even able to _dodge_ some of his attacks. She had injuries all over her. Some were major, others were minor. But what they all had in common was that they were killing her. She wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.

He was pushing her further and further backward. They were getting closer and closer to Hanatarō. Karin was beginning to feel desperate. She would die, Hanatarō would die, and she wouldn't be able to save Momo who was also going to die.

This was insane! How could anyone posses such an enormous Reiatsu? There was no chance she was going to beat this man! She never had a chance to begin with. He was just playing with her.

Her remaining spiritual energy was building up inside her. In one last desperate attempt of at least by some time for them to get away, she swung her Zanpakutō. A flash of purple light shaped like a bow shot out of the tip of her blade.

She recognise it. She had used it before, both during her training with Urahara and her battle with Shūhei, but she had never been able to create it on purpose. Maybe this was her chance. It was a powerful attack, even though she didn't have much spiritual energy left. It might create an opportunity for her and Hanatarō to escape.

The purple spiritual energy hit Kenpachi and exploded. She almost thought she had did it, but when the smoke cleared up, she found him standing at the exact same spot, unhurt. Her last chance of getting out this alive had failed.

She had lost all hope. There was nothing else she coulddo. She had lost.

Kenpachi swung his blade. Karin raised her Zanpakutō, but it was too late. The attack hit her chest and created a deep wound. Blood was flowing down her body. It came out of her mouth as well.

Everything went blurry. She was losing too much blood too fast. She fell to the ground.

Kenpachi looked at her with disappointment. He sent her one last disapproving look before walking away.

"Hey," she said hoarse. She coughed again. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

He turned around and looked at her. "What?"

"Aren't you going to kill me?" she asked. Her mouth was full of blood and she was barely able to talk.

"You ain't worth it," was all he said before turning around again and walked away.

She wanted to shout at him, but she didn't had the strength. Kenpachi faded out of her sight as everything went black.


	34. Karin vs Kenpachi 2

**Chapter 34**

Karin vs. Kenpachi 2

* * *

When Karin opened her eyes, she was in the Cloud World. She had by now realised that this was some kind of spiritual world existing within herself. Like an 'inner world'.

Everything was the same as before, but this time, she was in her Shihakushō. Her Zanpakutō was on its usual spot on her left hip. And she felt fine. She had no injuries.

"Karin," a voice said. She instantly recognized it as as her Zanpakutō's, Shigetsu. She turned around, and there he was. His black clothing stood out in all the light.

"Shigetsu," she said.

He came closer until he was standing right in front of her. "Karin, what are you doing?" he asked her and looked her straight into her eyes.

She frowned. "What do you mean?" she said, a little offended by his tone.

"Karin, you can to do better than this," he said. "Don't you have something to do? Aren't you going to save Hinamori Momo?"

"I am!" she replied.

"Then what are you doing!" he repeated.

Karin opened her mouth to say something, but words failed her. She didn't know what to say. "He's strong," she said in the end, avoiding the actual question.

"I know that! I was there the whole time!" Shigetsu said irritated. "But you can do better!"

"What if I can't," Karin shouted. "What if this is my best! What more can I do?!"

She expected another aggressive reply, but Shigetsu calmed down. When he opened him mouth to answer, his voice was soft.

"Karin. I believe in you, but you have to believe in me too," he said and put a hand on her shoulder. "You have to believe in your own strength, and you have to believe in mine.

"Knowing my name doesn't mean that you'll master wielding me, or know all my secrets," he said. He tilted his head. "Tell me, what do you actually know about me?"

Karin looked at him. She frowned and opened her mouth to answer. Nothing came out. She got a confused look. _I can't come up with anything,_ she realised. Her frown deepened. _Do I really not know_ _a_ _thing about him?_

She looked at him. He was right. She didn't know anything about him at all.

"Karin, you have to understand," Shigetsu started. "I am not just a weapon. I'm not a tool."

"I know that!" Karin said.

"Do you?" he said before she got the chance to say anything more. "Haven't you noticed? You wield me like any other sword. Even in your head, you refer to me as 'my Zanpakutō' instead of 'Shigetsu'. But I'm not any other katana! I am your strength, and you are mine!"

Karin was speechless. She didn't know what to say. She had never thought about it. What he said… it astounded her. She couldn't believe that she had never realised.

She looked down on her feet. She felt so guilty. How could she had been so blind? She never realised…

"Karin," Shigetsu said and put a hand on her shoulder again. She was still looking down.

She could feel his glance at her. "Karin, tell me this," he said. "What is it that you want to do?"

"I wanna win," Karin mumbled.

"I can't hear you," Shigetsu said.

Karin looked up and shouted: "I want to win!"

Shigetsu smiled. The Cloud World was fading away and everything turned dark.

 _That's the spirit,_ she heard Shigetsu's voice in her head.

* * *

When Karin opened her eyes the next time, nothing had changed. She was still lying on the ground and she could still see Kenpachi walking away from her up ahead. It was as if time had stood still.

Karin stood up. Her Reiatsu was flaring around her. Kenpachi noticed and turned around. His face broke into a wide grin. There was something reminding of surprise in his eyes.

They met halfway, and a loud _clang!_ echoed between the buildings as their blades met. Karin pulled back and attacked again. She swung Shigetsu in a vertical line and Kenpachi didn't do anything to stop it. The Zanpakutō hit his left shoulder, and this time, _there were blood._

Kenpachi looked at the wound, and then at her. She wasn't sure what she had expected him to do, but this was certainly not it. He started laughing.

Karin scowled. Why was he laughing? Didn't he take her seriously? Was he laughing at _her?_ From the looks of it, he seemed genuinely happy, but that didn't make sense. He had just received a possibly fatal wound! But this guy was crazy, so it was hard to tell.

"HAHAHAHA!" Kenpachi laughed and attacked. Karin deflected the attack and swung her Zanpakutō in the same movement. This one didn't hit, but her next one did. Shigetsu hit him right under his left eye, giving him a shallow cut.

As the fight went on, Kenpachi's grin grew larger and larger. Sometimes he laughed briefly and Karin was beginning to understand. He wasn't laughing of her. He was laughing in excitement.

"This is what I'm talking about!" he shouted and swung his Zanpakutō. Karin blocked and the fight went on.

As they fought it became clear that they were equally matched. Both of them had obtained injuries and none of them seemed to have the upper hand.

Kenpachi was clearly enjoying himself. Karin had realised that much. He wasn't fighting her because whoever was giving him orders had told him to, as the other Shinigami were. Kenpachi was a man who took pleasure in fighting. That was the reason behind this. He simply wanted a good fight. And she would give him one.

"I haven't had this much fun in ages!" he shouted in between attacks. "You are a worthy opponent, Kurosaki Karin! That's why I will fight you at full power!"

Karin frowned. Want he already fighting her at full power? He couldn't possibly be _holding back_ , could her?

She watched him as he lifted the hand he was not holding his Zanpakutō with up to his face. Then he surprised her with ripping of his eyepatch. Even more surprisingly was the following explosion of spiritual energy.

Yellow Reiatsu was shooting up into the sky. It was amazing. How was it even possible to _possess_ such an enormous amount of Reiatsu? And she had believed his Reiatsu to be incredible _before._ This was… this was just… She didn't even know how to describe it.

"What is this?" she said, without noticing that she was saying it out loud. What the heck was going on?

Kenpachi grinned. "This eyepatch is simply a devise made by the Department of Research and Development to suppress my Reiatsu," he said and showed it to her. Karin's eyes widened even more. On the inside of the eyepatch was something looking like small… mouths? Was she seeing correctly?

Either way, this was simply ridiculous! This Reiatsu! It was just ridiculous. How was she going to be able to fight against this?

 _It's alright,_ she suddenly heard a voice in her head. It was Shigetsu. _Remember, you're not alone! We can do this!_

Karin took a deep breath. she thought about Toshiro. Shigetsu was right. She would be alright. They could do this! She was going to save Momo! She was going to _win!_

She held up her Zanpakutō with confidence. Kenpachi grinned his widest smile so far. He was literally smiling from ear to ear.

 _Shigetsu, lend me your strength,_ she thought. She felt how spiritual energy was flowing through her body and it flared around her like purple flames.

"Hah!" Kenpachi shouted. "To think that ya had this much hidden Reiatsu!"

"It's simple," she said confident. "By lending power from Shigetsu and fighting along with him, I can easily increase my own strength."

"Shigetsu? Is that your Zanpakutō?" he asked. He had a mockingly tone.

"In fact, it is," she said and narrowed her eyes.

"Hah!" he exclaimed again. " _Fighting along with the Zanpakutō_ ; that is ridiculous! A Zanpakutō is simply a tool,you fool! Those claiming to 'fight along with' their katana are just weak losers afraid of fighting on their own!"

This time it was Karin's turn to laugh. "You're the fool! There is no way I'm going to lose to anyone thinking like that!" she shouted and pointed Shigetsu at him.

They both realised their Reiatsu. The buildings around them were cracking under the pressure. Karin was glaring at Kenpachi with a killer look while Kenpachi was grinning in excitement. Simultaneously they leaped towards one another and met in one final clash.

* * *

Yellow Reiatsu met purple. The amount of Reiatsu realised was enough to destroy all of the nearest buildings. The ground was shaking and the light was dazzling. The sound of collapsing buildings was deafening.

When the smoke from the collapsed buildings cleared up, two figures could be seen standing in the middle of all the rubble, one tall one and one little. It was completely quiet. For seconds, nothing seemed to happen.

Then, one of the figures fell down. It was the little one. "I'm sorry," a weak voice could be heard before the figure hit the ground.

"What are you apologizing for?" the larger one said and fell as well. It landed next to the little one.

"You won, fool."


	35. A Strange Feeling

**Chapter 35**

A Strange Feeling

* * *

The first thing Karin noticed after waking up was a familiar glowing green light. Her vision was still blurry and she blinked and tried to focus.

"Karin-san!" a familiar voice said from above her.

"Hanatarō?" she said hoarsly.

"You're awake!" Hanatarō said. She could see him clearly now. It was his hands that emitted the glowing light.

She remembered what had happened. "Are you okay?" she asked and sat up.

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied. "I am more worried about you." He frowned. "Are you sure you should be sitting up?"

Karin didn't answer his question. Instead she asked: "How long was I out? What happened to Kenpachi?"

"Only a couple of minutes I think," he said. "As for what happened to Kenpachi, I am not sure. He was gone when I got here."

Karin looked up. "I see."

The sky was blue. The sun was still high up in the sky. And more importantly, there were still three days until the execution.

She looked down her body. Her Shihakushō was still soaked with blood, but the injuries were gone.

She slowly stood up, much to Hanatarō's displease. "Karin-san! You shouldn't get up! Please, sit down!" he insisted.

"I feel fine," she said. And she really did. Her body was as good as new. She felt like she could run a marathon.

"I'm going to the Senzaikyū," she continued determined. "This time, I'm definitely going to save Momo!"

* * *

Rukia was walking restlessly around in the 13th Division's barracks. She had been having this strange feeling. She felt like something was wrong.

Outside, the 13th Division along some members of the 12th were working on figuring out more about the Ryoka and how she had gotten here. Rukia herself was patrolling the barracks.

She remembered how the Ryoka had fallen down from the roof. Kurosaki Karin, she had said her name was. In that moment, Rukia hadn't suspected a thing. Karin had seemed like a normal Shinigami to her. She had been so nice. It was hard to believe that she was a human from the World of the Living that had broken into Seireitei.

A lot of things had happened. Not long ago, Matsumoto-taichō and Hitsugaya-fukutaichō had fought against each other. Rukia had heard that it had been a tough fight, and that both of them had lost consciousness.

The fight between the captain and lieutenant of the 10th Division had been a shock to her. Something like that had never happened before. At least not during Rukia's time as a Shinigami. To think that something like that could happen was hard to believe.

And then there was the incident with Hisagi-fukutaichō. That had been a shock to the entire Seireitei. No one had expected the Ryoka to be that powerful. To think that Karin was above lieutenant's level, maybe even on a captain's level…

Rukia expected that there had been another fight just now. Some time ago, an enormous amount of spiritual energy had come from the centre of Seireitei. One of the Reiatsu was unmistakably Zaraki-taichō's, but the other one she didn't recognize. Perhaps it was Karin's?

And of course, not to mention this whole situation. A captain had been _killed_. And not just any captain. _Aizen_ -taichō. The nicest and most kind-hearted of all the captains. Why would anyone have wanted to kill such a nice person?

The fact that it had been _Hinamori-fukutaichō_ who killed him was even more shockingly. Rukia had always liked Hinamori. She could never have even imagined that she could have been able to do something like that.

Rukia sighed. This had to be the 30th time she passed the research area. She had grown tired of patrolling a long time ago. It was boring. Nothing happened here anyway. She knew that they were looking for the Ryoka, but it was obvious that she was no longer in the 13th Division's area.

She was about to let out another sigh when something caught her attention. It was the unmistakable red colour of the 6th Division Lieutenant's hair, Abarai Renji.

"Renji!" Rukia said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

The red-head stopped in front of her. "Haven't you heard?" he asked.

"Heard about what?" she said confused.

"About Matsumoto-taichō," he said. "She's regained consciousness."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but this is about what she said when she woke up," Renji explained. Rukia didn't say anything, but waited for him to continue.

She still thought it was strange. She and Renji had begun to talk to each other again not long ago and it still felt weird. After the adoption, she and Renji had lost contact. They didn't speak to each other and did barely look at each other when they met.

Around two months ago, however, Renji had been promoted to lieutenant of the 6th Division, the division whom her brother was captain of. They had been forced to spend more time together. In the beginning, it had been awkward, but after a while, they had re-established a relationship.

Sometimes, she could forget about all the decades they spent as strangers and it was like it never happened. Other time, though, he felt even more distant to her than when they hadn't talk at all.

"She told about what happened before the fight," Renji continued. "She met the Ryoka!"

"Really? What happened?"

"Well, you see, apparently Hitsugaya-fukutaichō and the Ryoka met in the world of the living. Kurosaki was a human turned Shinigami by none other than Hitsugaya himself," Renji explained.

"No, it can't be," Rukia said wide-eyed. "Hitsugaya-fukutaichō did that?"

"Apparently, he did," he said before continuing. "What's more is that the real reason why Kurosaki came here in the first place was to save Hitsugaya from execution. She realised later, of course, that is wasn't his execution at all. After meeting Hitsugaya she decided to save Hinamori instead. Something about repaying her debt. She escaped with Hitsugaya's help."

Rukia was speechless. "I- I can't believe this," she stuttered after a while.

"Yeah, I know," Renji said. He hesitated before he continued: "But Rukia..."

She looked up. "What is it, Renji?"

"Don't you feel it as well?" he asked her. "Like… something's not right?"

Rukia nodded. "You too?"

"Yeah. I know Hinamori. We were friends at the Academy, and I know that she is not someone that could have done anything like this," he said.

"And even if she could, a captain would never have let himself go down like that. Aizen-taichō is a lot stronger than Hinamori. He shouldn't have died either way," Rukia continued.

"Exactly."

"But why are you telling me all of this?" she asked. "I'm not even a seated officer. Isn't this classified or something?"

"Well, I thought maybe you could talk to your brother, or something. He's the one in charge of Hinamori, after all," he said. "Make them redo the investigation. When they first accused Hinamori of being Aizen-taichō's killer, they barely did any investigation at all because they didn't consider other possibilities. Maybe Hinamori wasn't the one who killed him. Maybe she was set up."

Rukia nodded. "I understand. But why don't you talk to nii-sama yourself? You are his lieutenant after all."

"Yes, but I've only been so for a few months," Renji said uncomfortable. "I think you'll have a better chance of getting to him."

"I don't think so," Rukia mumbled. Out loud she said: "I'll do it. But I can't promise anything. He probably won't listen to me anyway."

Renji nodded, and she set off.

She met her brother right outside the 6th Division's barracks. He looked like he was going somewhere.

"Nii-sama!" Rukia shouted. Her brother turned around and Rukia stopped in front of him. She bowed respectfully before looking up at him again. "Can't we speak?"

Her brother nodded, still without looking at her.

Rukia took a deep breath before saying: "Nii-sama, are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

Her brother narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" he said slowly.

Rukia bit her lip. Normally, she would never do something like this. She rarely spoke to her brother, and if they spoke, it was usually he who requested to speak to her. To confront him like this in front of the 6th Division's barracks was very unlike her.

"I feel like there is something wrong," she started. "Renj- Abarai-fukutaichō feel it as well. There is something about this whole situation that doesn't make sense."

"How come?" her brother said. His voice was monotone, but Rukia knew that he was deeply displeased about this. She felt the regret growing inside of her.

Rukia repeated what she and Renji had discussed. She was feeling very uncomfortable. Even though they were legally siblings, she didn't feel like this ice cold figure in front of her was her brother at all. She barely even knew him.

"This is nonsense," her brother said when she finished. His voice was as calm as ever, but Rukia knew he was boiling with anger. What she had done was utterly disrespectful. To speak so freely in front of the head of the Kuchiki clan was unacceptable. She was a disappointment to her brother and her clan. Rukia lowered her head in shame.

Oh, how she regretted this. She should have made Renji go. Or better: not going at all. This had been a stupid idea. To confront her brother like this was idiocy. She should have known better.

"Seireitei and the Sōtaichō have made no such mistake," her brother continued. "Hinamori is a criminal who will take responsibility for her actions."

In one terrifying moment, his eyes actually met hers for the first time in years. Rukia could feel how his spiritual pressure was rising dangerously. "You will not speak of this again."

"Yes, nii-sama," she said with her head lowered.

His Reiatsu went back to normal again and he looked away. "Good," he said with his usual monotone voice.

Then he left, heading towards the Senzaikyū and Sōkyoku Hill.


	36. Bankai

**Chapter 36**

Bankai

* * *

Karin and Hanatarō were running between all the tall buildings in the area. From time to time, they caught a glimpse of some Shinigami who also were running. The Shinigami they saw though, didn't see them. They were too careful.

They had already gotten far away from the place where Karin and Kenpachi had battled. But the Senzaikyū was still quite some distance away. Even though this area didn't seem so big, it certainly was.

The two of them were running. Hanatarō was surprisingly fast. She was impressed by his stamina. When she commented it, he just said that it was important for the members of the 4th Division to have good stamina, so that they would be able to do all their work. He also showed her something looking like candy, telling her that it was some kind of power-up, for times when he was running low on energy.

"There it is!" Hanatarō exclaimed suddenly. Karin looked up and discovered that he was right. They were there.

Only a few hundred metres up ahead, the Senzaikyū stood tall. Karin shunpoed the rest of the way and stopped in front of it. Hanatarō was right behind her. "How do we get in?" she asked him.

Hanatarō pointed up. "There," he said. Karin looked in the direction he was pointing and discovered the door. Only two people was guarding the entrance. "Easy peasy," she grinned. She started running up the stairs, and it didn't take long for them to notice her.

"Hey, you!" one of the Shinigami shouted at her. Karin had now reached the bridge. "Stop right there!"

He drew his Zanpakutō, but he was chanceless. Karin knocked him unconscious. The second Shinigami didn't seem too eager to do the same, but he also drew his Zanpakutō and attacked. He ended up on the ground next to the other guard.

Karin sat down and searched the two of them. After a while, she found what she was looking for – the key. As fast as she could, she unlocked the door and it went up.

It wasn't until later she realised that this had been _too_ easy.

Inside, a girl about the same size as herself looked up with a surprised expression. She became even more surprised when she saw who waited on the outside.

"Momo-san?" Karin asked and looked at the girl.

"Y-yes?" she stammered scared.

Follow me!" Karin said.

Momo looked perplexed around her, unsure what to do. "I'm a friend of Tōshirō," Karin continued, trying to win the trust of the terrified girl. "I'm going to get you out of here!"

Hesitantly, Momo got up. She ran outside and Karin caught her. "Hi, I'm Kurosaki Karin," she said.

Momo's eyes widened. "You're _her!_ The Ryoka, the one everyone is talking about!" She took a step backwards.

"Right, but that's not what's important right now," Karin said. "What's important is that we get you out of here!"

She was about to grab the girl and leave when Hanatarō suddenly grabbed the sleeve of her Shihakushō. "K-karin-san," he said with a shivering voice and she saw a pair of terrified eyes, staring at something behind her. She turned around and looked in the same direction as he. And froze.

There, halfway over the bridge, a Shinigami stood. And not just any Shinigami. Karin recognized the haori he was wearing; it was the same as Kenpachi's. This person was a captain.

"It's Kuchiki-taichō," Hanatarō said, confirming it. "The captain of the 6th Division."

"Let go of the girl, Ryoka," the captain said coolly. Karin felt the chills down her spine. He looked at her with eyes as cold as ice.

"No," Karin said after a while. "I'm taking Momo-san with me." She tried to keep her voice from shaking. Beside her, Hanatarō was shivering.

"Do yourself a favour and give it up," he said, and send her another cool look.

"No," Karin said again.

Kuchiki narrowed his eyed. His grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakutō and Karin drew her own. Slowly, he approached her. She stood still, with Hanatarō and Momo safely behind her. In one smooth movement, his Zanpakutō was out of its scabbard. He shunpoed towards them, and Karin met him half way.

The next thing Karin felt was a sticking pain to her side. She looked down and saw blood coming from her left side. She looked up into Kuchiki's cold eyes in shock. She had barely seen his move. This was an opponent she couldn't take lightly.

"Shigetsu," she said and released her Shikai. In a fraction of a second, she thought she saw something reminding of amusement in his eyes. When she looked again though, all she saw was his stone cold stare.

She shook her head and leaped forwards. Behind her she heard Hanatarō shout her name. She barely heeded it. All she could focus about was her opponent. This time, his Zanpakutō met hers. She was about to give him a triumphantly smile, but he didn't give her the opportunity. His next attack hit her shoulder and she collapsed in pain.

"I'll give you one last chance," he said and looked down at her. " _Give up._ "

"Never," Karin hissed.

"So be it," the captain said dangerously and held up his sword. " _Shire,_ Senbon-" he started and the Zanpakutō began to glow. He never got to finish, though.

A woman appeared in front of him and his katana was wrapped up in a piece of cloth. Karin could see how his eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, but the woman was already on the move again. Karin just managed to get a glimpse of the woman's face before getting knocked out.

* * *

When Karin woke up, the first thing she noticed was her surroundings. To her surprise, she found herself lying on a futon in something looking like Urahara's secret training grounds.

Slowly, she sat up. Her wounds didn't hurt as much as she had expected them to. On the other hand, they were not as deep as those she had received in earlier battles.

"Karin," a familiar voice suddenly called out. Karin turned her head to the left and discovered the cat sitting next to her. "You're awake."

"Yoruichi-san?" Karin said surprised. "Where am I?"

"Right now, we're under Sōkyoku Hill," the cat answered.

Karin suddenly came to a realisation. "What happened? Where's Momo-san and Hanatarō?!" she said frantically.

"Calm down, they'll be okay," Yoruichi replied.

"But the captain!" Karin continued. She thought about everything that happened and how Momo and Hanatarō were left alone with the 6th Division captain. And then there was that mysterious woman who stopped his release. "Who was that woman?"

"That was me," Yoruichi said and Karin's eyes widened. Yoruichi saw it and continued: "I guess I never showed it to you; my true form."

Karin was about to ask what she meant about that, but she never got that far. Right in front of her eyes, the cat changed into a woman – and a completely naked one, that is. Karin also discovered that she was telling the truth. The woman in front of her was the same that had knocked her out earlier, sans the clothes.

"You," she said. "But why did you interrupt my fight? I could have saved Momo-san and Hanatarō! Now they may die!" She felt how the anger was building up inside her. "And put on some cloths, please," she added.

Yoruichi snorted. "There is no way you would be able to beat Byakuya. He hadn't even released his Zanpakutō, and you were still losing," she said, still naked.

"However," she continued. "I will help you save Hinamori."

"But how-" Karin started. Before she got to finish, though, Yoruichi disappeared. When she got back a few moments later, she was fully dressed, thankfully, and continued her speech.

"I'm sure you're aware of that the Zanpakutō has two possible releases. One is Shikai, which you've already mastered," Yoruichi said and paused. She had a serious look in her eyes, and Karin couldn't help noticing how much alike Yoruichi's eyes was in cat-form and in human-form.

"The other one is Bankai," she continued. "This is the final release, which most Shinigami will never obtain. However, to become a captain, you must be able to do both. It's a skill that normally takes ten years to learn."

All Karin could do was listen. She vaguely remembered Urahara mentioning something about that, but she never thought anymore about it. In fact, she had completely forgotten about it. At that point, all she had thought about was obtaining Shikai.

Yoruichi continued. "The power of the Shikai and Bankai depends on the Zanpakutō and the ability and training of the wielder. But in general, the Bankai can increase one's power up to ten times."

" _Ten times-!"_ Karin exclaimed. Her eyes widened in shock. She stood like frozen. She thought about her fight with Kuchiki Byakuya. Before Yoruichi showed up, Karin had been losing, and he hadn't even released his Zanpakutō. To think that he could obtain ten times that power! Karin realised that she would have been dead if Yoruichi hadn't showed up just when she did.

"But… what about Kenpachi?" she asked after a while.

"All the captains can do Bankai. All but one," Yoruichi replied. Once again Karin stood still without saying anything. She barely survived her fight with Kenpachi, and he couldn't even do Shikai. It was hard to believe.

"How am I ever going to save Momo-san?" Karin said discouraged.

"You will save Hinamori," Yoruichi said. "I told you I'll make sure of that. You'll just have to learn Bankai as well."

"But I don't have ten years!" Karin shouted. "I have three days!"

"That's why we're going to use this." Yoruichi brought Karin around the corner and showed her something that looked like a dummy.

"Kisuke used this to get Bankai in three days," she said, pointing at the white figure. "I am going to make sure you do the same."

"But how?" Karin said in disbelief.

"To achieve Shikai, you have to communicate and synchronize with your Zanpakutō. For the Bankai, you need to materialize it into our world. This usually take ten or more years to manage. With this, however-" she pointed at the doll "-you can materialize it right away. All you have to do is pierce it with your Zanpakutō."

Karin looked at Yoruichi without managing to do anything. It all seemed surreal.

"Do you want to save Hinamori or do you not?" The former cat looked at her with strict eyes.

"I'll do whatever it takes," Karin said and stared back. Then she turned towards the dummy. In one movement, she drew her Zanpakutō and stabbed the doll.

For several seconds, nothing seemed to have happened. Then she heard his voice. "Long time no see," it said. Karin turned round, and there he was.

Shigetsu looked at her with one of his usual confident glares and smiled.

* * *

A/N: Hello! Long time, no see. It's been over a year since I last updated this story, sorry about that. I _do_ intend to finish this, if only because I hate leaving things half-done, even if I can't promise regular updates.

I've been re-reading and editing this, since I honostly can't remember what I've written, and it's been a long time since I read the manga. I guess that was why I stopped writing; the manga was completed.

One more thing, I feel the need to apologise for how bad my english was two years back. But when I first started this, it was mainly because I wanted to improve my writing, I think I did that. Of course, I'm still no native speaker, and I am terrible at spotting my own mistakes, so you'll probably still be finding them here and there, but I hope to decrease the number of mistakes I make the more I write.


	37. The Truth

**Chapter 37**

The Truth

* * *

Matsumoto was wandering around in the 10th Division's barracks. She had woken up in the 4th Division not long ago. Ukitake-taichō had been there. He had asked her about Hitsugaya and the Ryoka.

There hadn't been much to tell. Only that they knew each other, and that Hitsugaya had given her Shinigami powers.

 _...that he had given her Shinigami powers…_

She still couldn't believe it. She never imagined Hitsugaya would ever do something like that. It was just… To think that _Hitsugaya,_ of all people, had broken the law – it was just so hard to believe. When she first found out, she had been so disappointed. Now she was just sad.

Matsumoto had always been fond of Hitsugaya. She had known him for a very long time, and he was one of the people she trusted the most. When she heard what he had done, she had been in shock. _It couldn't be_ , she had thought. Deep inside, she had been hoping that it wasn't true, that they had made a mistake. But then Hitsugaya had confirmed it.

A part of her regretted what she had done. Fighting against her own lieutenant had been the hardest thing she had done in years. It was worse than fighting even the toughest Hollows. And to see him lie there in the dust… It broke her heart.

Matsumoto passed by her office for the fifth time now. She was about move on when something caught her attention. A Shinigami was standing outside the office. Matsumoto remembered seeing her before and recognized her as Kuchiki-taichō's younger sister. Rukia, if she remembered correctly.

"Matsumoto-taichō," Rukia said and bowed formally. "Can I speak with you?"

"Sure, come in," Matsumoto said and showed her the way into the office. Rukia followed her reluctantly.

"What are you wondering about?" she asked. She was mildly surprised over the visit, but she didn't mind. In fact, she needed something else to think about.

The smaller Shinigami hesitated. "I know this is not in my place to ask," she started and avoided looking directly into her eyes.

"Please go on," Matsumoto said encouragingly.

It didn't seem to help. Rukia was still looking down at her feet when she eventually continued. "I wanted to ask you about… Hitsugaya-fukutaichō and Hinamori-fukutaichō." She looked up hesitantly.

Matsumoto's eyes hardened. Rukia saw that, and immediately looked down again. "I am sorry, I will be leaving," she said and bowed. She was about to turn around, but Matsumoto stopped her.

"No, I'm sorry," she said. "It's okay. Please go on." She had hoped she wouldn't have to think about either of the two lieutenants, but she didn't want to scare the poor girl away.

Rukia hesitated, but kept going. "It's really about Hinamori-fukutaichō. Abarai-fukutaichō and I have talked about it, and come to the conclusion that something is not right. You know, about how she… killed Aizen-taichō." The last part came out as only a whisper. She cleared her throat. "So what I want to ask is: did Hitsugaya-fukutaichō say anything about it before..." she sent a glance in Matsumoto's direction before continuing "…his defeat."

Matsumoto looked at her. She frowned.

"I'm sorry," Rukia said and shook her head. "I will be leaving." She was about to turn around, but Matsumoto stopped her, again.

For a moment, both of them stood entirely still. Matsumoto thought about what she'd said. "What do you mean?" she asked and looked the girl in her eyes.

"Well, it's just that it doesn't make sense," Rukia said. "You know, Hinamori-fukutaichō and Aizen-taichō? How could a lieutenant kill a captain? And what was her motive anyway? Hinamori worshipped Aizen-taichō. She had no reason to kill him. They never did a proper investigation because it seemed so obvious." Rukia pause and looked up at Matsumoto. "What if Hinamori was set up," she said, ending her explanation.

Matsumoto looked at her with big eyes. It… it made sense. But, that couldn't be, could it? Could they really have been so wrong? No. Matsumoto didn't want to believe it.

But it _did_ make sense. She thought about the way Hinamori had reacted when it happened. Everyone thought she had been faking it so they would believe she was innocent. Now, Matsumoto wasn't so sure…

Then she remembered what Hitsugaya had said to her. He had talked about Aizen. He had said that he was still alive. He had said that Hinamori had been _set up_ , just like Rukia suggested. Could he have been telling the truth?

Matsumoto was filled with doubt. She didn't want to believe that her dear lieutenant had been lying about something that serious. She had always liked Momo. And then she killed Aizen. Matsumoto didn't want to believe that either.

To think that she had had so blind faith in Soul Society and Seireitei. Everyone made mistakes. Couldn't this be one? And if it was, then sweet Momo would get executed for a crime she didn't commit.

Matsumoto looked at the small Shinigami in front of her. "Hold that thought," she said and put a hand on Rukia's shoulder. "I have to go." Then she turned around and left.

* * *

 _Why?_ Rukia thought, _why me?_ Why couldn't Renji have done this? But _no_ , he gone off doing something for her brother, and then she was stuck here with the 10th Division's captain. She! An unseated member of the 13th Division.

Once more she had had to explain what she and Renji had discussed to a captain. She didn't even get any answers. Matsumoto-taichō had just taken off and disappeared to who-knows-where.

 _Damn it, Renji_ , she cursed inwardly. _I told you we should have talked to Ukitake-taichō first._

Rukia sighed. Getting answers turned out to be a lot harder than originally thought. Especially now when the execution was just one day away.

* * *

Kenpachi was running through Seireitei. On his back, Yachiru was shouting out directions.

Kenpachi growled. "Where the hell are we?" he said after another dead end.

Yachiru seemed to think about it. Then she said: "To the left!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'm sure! Go to the left!"

He scowled. She had been "sure" all the other times as well. With an irritated grunt, Kenpachi turned around and went to the left.

"Just wait, Kurosaki Karin, I'll find you," he said with a manic grin.

"Hitsugaya."

Hitsugaya turned around. It was Matsumoto standing on the other side of the bars. He didn't say anything. He knew he should greet her, as she was his captain, but nothing came out. Instead, he just stared at her with expressionless eyes.

What she said next however, caught him off guard.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you before. I know I should have." She looked at him and Hitsugaya looked wide-eyed back.

"But I will listen now," she said. "Was what you said yesterday true?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yes, it was," he said. "Aizen is still alive."

Matsumoto shock her head. He could see that she still had hard to believe it. "So then, Hinamori..."

"...was set up," Hitsugaya said, completing her sentence. His eyes darkened. "It was Aizen. He has been lying to all of us since who-knows-when. It's all part of his big plan."

"And- You're sure about this?" Matsumoto asked.

"He told me so himself."

Hitsugaya watched his captain as she was trying to process all the information. "I can't believe it," she mumbled. "All this time." Then she said out loud: "But how?"

"It's his Zanpakutō," Hitsugaya said. "It's not a water type, as we all believed it to be. He called it 'complete hypnosis'. His Zanpakutō's ability is to manipulate all the five senses into seeing, hearing, smelling whatever he wants us to."

"No, it can't be," Matsumoto said in disbelief. "Someone would have noticed."

"That's the whole point; with an ability like that, no one would ever notice anything." He gave her a serious look. "The Central 46 is dead. It was all Aizen. He's made us believe the Central is still up and running while _he_ 's the one that's really giving the orders."

Matsumoto shock her. "This is… It's just..." It seemed like she didn't know what to say. Then her eyes widened. "Hinamori. If we can't prove this, then tomorrow, she will be executed when she's done nothing wrong."

Hitsugaya nodded.

Matsumoto looked at him. In her eyes, there were determination. "Then we will save her."

* * *

It was quiet in the 4th Division's prison. He was the only one there. The fourth's prison was an abandoned place. There was rarely any use of it. So he was alone.

Hanatarō looked down at his feet. He was sitting at the edge of a small bed. He thought about Karin. Some mysterious lady had appeared and taken her away, probably saving her life. But then again, who knew what that woman would do to her. Either way, he was worried about her.

He was about to let out a sigh when he was abruptly interrupted. Suddenly, the entire wall behind him exploded and he was slung into the bars before landing on the floor in a cloud of dust. He blinked and spotted a dark figure in front of him. The dust cleared and Hanatarō instantly recognized him.

"Zaraki-taichō!?"

The captain grinned. "You're gonna take me to Kurosaki," he stated.

* * *

Rukia was about to leave when Matsumoto appeared in the office's doorway. She was also surprised to see Hitsugaya behind her.

"Matsumoto told me you were the one to figure out that something was wrong," Hitsugaya said with his characteristic dark voice.

"I guess..." She didn't know what to say. "Renji and I."

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Rukia blinked. "It was nothing, I'm sure someone would have noticed at some point anyway." There was a moment of awkward silence before Rukia cleared her throat and asked: "What now?"

* * *

Kenpachi grabbed the much smaller Shinigami, and a few shunpo later, the 4th Division's barracks were out of sight.

"Zaraki-taichō!" Hanatarō squealed. "What are you doing?!"

"As I said, you're gonna help me find Kurosaki," Zaraki grinned.

"What? But- but I don't know where she is," Hanatarō stuttered.

"Which way are we going?" he asked, ignoring his stuttering.

"I am sorry, but I really don't know," he tried again.

"Where did you see her last time?"

"Th-the Sōkyoku, I guess," Hanatarō said.

Zaraki-taichō grinned. "I'm coming for you, Kurosaki!"

It didn't take long before Hanatarō realised what an incredibly terrible sense of direction the captain of the 11th Division had. He had heard the rumours, but his was just ridiculous! His lieutenant wasn't any better.

Hanatarō was running behind the giant captain. Even though he was a lot slower, he didn't have any problems with keeping up. They ran two blocks, at most, before they had to turn around and head in another direction.

At this point, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika had joined them. "What are you doing with the little guy?" Madarame asked.

Zaraki grunted. You could tell he was annoyed. Hanatarō didn't dare say anything.

"We are looking for Karin-chan!" Kusajishi-fukutaichō chirped.

"Kurosaki?" Ayasegawa asked.

"Yup! He and Karin-chan is friends," Kusajishi said and pointed at Hanatarō.

"Really? You must be that 4th Division member then," Madarame said and scowled. Hanatarō suppressed the urge do sigh. The members of the fourth was disliked enough as it was, he didn't need another reason for them to hate him.

"But what are you doing way out here?" Ayasegawa asked.

"Yeah, I heard that Kurosaki was last seen by the Sōkyoku," Madarame added.

"Sounded like Kuchiki-taichō beat her up pretty badly."

"Is she still alive?"

Hanatarō watched as Zaraki-taichō's irritation grew. "Will you shut up," he said at last. They had been going in circles for quite some time now, and he was getting really annoyed.

He opened his mouth to say something, but paused. His eyes was fixated on something behind him. Hanatarō looked around and discovered what.

Komamura-taichō and Tōsen-taichō. Behind them, Iba-fukutaichō stood looking at them. Hanatarō expected to see Hisagi-fukutaichō, but remembered that he probably still was resting after his fight with Karin.

"Zaraki," Komamura-taichō began. "You've gone too far."

"Helping a _prisoner_ out of jail is a serious crime," Tōsen-taichō continued.

"Stay out of this," Zaraki growled. "I'll return him once I'm done," he added.

"That's not how it works," Komamura said serious.

"Get out of my way!"

All of the captains now had their hand resting on the hilt of their Zanpakutō. "Leave the prisoner, let us take him back, and maybe we can let this go," Komamura continued.

"Forget it!"

"I'll give you one more chance."

Zaraki-taichō drew his Zanpakutō, and that was answer enough.


End file.
